The Kings remain on track to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and break the worst streak in the NBA without a presence in the title series. Those from Sacramento prevailed in their visit to the Suns (119-128) in a duel between two of the best teams in the West and in which the locals could not count on Kevin Durant. The forward missed his second game after spraining his ankle in warm-ups for the last game and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
The Kings haven’t made the playoffs in 17 years. They were the same ones who had not reached 40 victories in a seasonthe ones they carry now. Mike Brown he has become the second coach to do so since the franchise moved from Kansas City to Sacramento in 1985. Until now she had only gotten Rick Adelman in seven consecutive courses between 2000 and 2006, a time in which the team even dreamed of the ring, but ran into the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
In the triumph in Phoenix, the key was the contribution of the bench, which scored 65 points. Seven Kings players scored at least 12 points, with Harrison Barnes leading the stat with 19. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk each added 18 and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points and added eight rebounds. “A lot of guys were able to contribute tonight. We have a lot of good players on the bench. They know what their roles are and are ready to come in and make an impact in the game,” Chimezie Metu analyzed.
an unimaginable scenario
The Kings, in a scenario unimaginable not long ago, remain second in the West tied with the Grizzlies and trailing only the Nuggets. For the fourth-placed Suns, the loss snapped a four-game winning streak. Without Durant, Devin Booker put the points (28); Deandre Ayton, the rebounds (12 and 22 points); and Chris Paul, the assists (16 and 16 points), but they were not enough.
