Update: 8:45 pm
The Sacramento Kings tank rolled on in Phoenix Friday night as the Suns dispatched of them 129-102. It was good for the tank, but bad for Maxime Raynaud, who is one of the very few good things this season, as he left limping off the floor in the second half. Prior to that, he stayed on the ground for a while holding his knee. Hopefully it isn’t too serious.
Keegan Murray finished 23 points and 9 rebounds in 33 minutes. Russell Westbrook had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Kings had 21 turnovers, lost fast break points 19-8, and points in the paint 66-44.
From Earlier Preview:
I decided to further depress myself before writing this preview by looking up NBA win total projections from October, aka the preseason. BetMGM placed the Suns over/under at 30.5, and the Kings’ at 32.5. Whoops. The Kings are in Phoenix tonight to play one of most unexpectedly-good teams in the league this season. Let’s get to it then.
Who: Sacramento Kings (8-26) vs. Phoenix Suns (19-14)
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
When: 6:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM ET
Watch: NBCSCA / League Pass
The flip side of those aforementioned win total projections? Sometimes the teams everyone seems to think will be terrible aren’t terrible. There’s hope for the Kings. Not this season, but someday. Maybe. Anyway.
The Suns will be without Jalen Green, Grayson Allen, and Jordan Goodwin tonight. For the Kings, Doug Christie will still be missing Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Dylan Cardwell.
Sacramento had a decent showing vs. Boston last night before ultimately losing 120-106. They’re in Phoenix tonight on the second night of a back-to-back, so I don’t feel particularly good about a win here, and that’s right where the organization needs to be. Play the youth, hope they look good, but keep losing games. That’s where we’re at.
Prediction: Kings 116, Suns 110.