Game ID: 22300567
Sacramento Kings @ Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 27 24 33 35 119SAC 39 29 28 21 117
PHX vs SAC ScoutingPHX vs SAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
PHX availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Durant missed 3 since 1/01, returns tonight: 36 min (97% of 38)
BACK Beal back 12/29 after 5, 35 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Eubanks back 1/01 after 3, 10 min since (67% of 16)
BACK Bates-Diop back 1/01 after 7, 19 min since (123% of 15)
BACK Watanabe back 1/01 after 2, 7 min since (55% of 13)
BACK Bol back 1/01 after 2, 16 min since (153% of 11)
NEW Metu 12 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 1/08 · back-to-backOUT Gordon missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 25 min (88% of 28)
BACK Durant back 1/07 after 3, 36 min since (97% of 38)
BACK Eubanks back 1/01 after 3, 11 min since (72% of 16)
BACK Bates-Diop back 1/01 after 7, 18 min since (116% of 15)
BACK Watanabe back 1/01 after 2, 7 min since (55% of 13)
BACK Bol back 1/01 after 2, 16 min since (153% of 11)
NEW Metu 12 to 17 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 1/11 · 2 days' restOUT Bol missed 2 since 1/07, returns tonight: 17 min (162% of 11)
BACK Durant back 1/07 after 3, 36 min since (95% of 38)
BACK Gordon back 1/08 after 2, 25 min since (88% of 28)
BACK Eubanks back 1/01 after 3, 12 min since (78% of 16)
BACK Bates-Diop back 1/01 after 7, 15 min since (95% of 15)
BACK Watanabe back 1/01 after 2, 7 min since (50% of 13)
PHX availability going into 1/14 · 2 days' restBACK Durant back 1/07 after 3, 34 min since (92% of 38)
BACK Gordon back 1/08 after 2, 24 min since (85% of 28)
BACK Bol back 1/11 after 2, 17 min since (162% of 11)
PHX availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restBACK Durant back 1/07 after 3, 35 min since (94% of 38)
BACK Gordon back 1/08 after 2, 24 min since (86% of 28)
BACK Bol back 1/11 after 2, 17 min since (162% of 11)
PHX availability going into 1/19 · 2 days' restOUT Goodwin missed 2 since 1/14, returns tonight: 4 min (29% of 14)
OUT Watanabe missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Durant back 1/07 after 3, 36 min since (96% of 38)
BACK Gordon back 1/08 after 2, 24 min since (86% of 28)
PHX availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restOUT Watanabe missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 1/08 after 2, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Goodwin back 1/19 after 2, 4 min since (29% of 14)
PHX availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backOUT Watanabe missed 4 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 4 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Goodwin back 1/19 after 2, 4 min since (29% of 14)
PHX availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Goodwin missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 4 min (29% of 14)
OUT Watanabe missed 5 since 1/14, returns tonight: 7 min (55% of 13)
OUT Bol missed 5 since 1/14, out tonight
SAC availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 12 min since (70% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 21 min since (169% of 12)
NEW Duarte 12 to 19 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/10 · back-to-backBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 8 min since (48% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 21 min since (169% of 12)
NEW Duarte 12 to 18 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 2 since 1/09, returns tonight: 8 min (70% of 12)
BACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 9 min since (50% of 17)
NEW Monk 26 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 9 min since (52% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 12)
SAC availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 1/07 after 3, 9 min since (52% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/07 after 3, 12 min since (97% of 12)
NEW Lyles 20 to 27 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 2 since 1/14, returns tonight: 2 min (11% of 17)
OUT Mitchell missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Vezenkov back 1/12 after 2, 11 min since (89% of 12)
SAC availability going into 1/22 · 3 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 1/14, returns tonight: 22 min (144% of 15)
OUT Duarte missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 1/18 after 2, 2 min since (11% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/12 after 2, 11 min since (89% of 12)
SAC availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restOUT Duarte missed 4 since 1/14, returns tonight: 3 min (22% of 12)
BACK Ellis back 1/18 after 2, 2 min since (11% of 17)
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 22 min since (144% of 15)
BACK Vezenkov back 1/12 after 2, 10 min since (81% of 12)
NEW Huerter 24 to 32 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 2 since 1/22, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 19 min since (122% of 15)
BACK Duarte back 1/25 after 4, 3 min since (22% of 12)
NEW Huerter 24 to 32 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 23 a game. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and Fox at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Phoenix 119, Sacramento 115, Sacramento keeping it close.
1/07 vs MEM 115-121 — PHX notes
PHX lost 115-121. PHX shot 45% (46 of 102) to MEM's 44%, 8 of 28 from three. PHX turned it over 12 times to MEM's 17. Booker led with 24 (9 of 17, 2 of 6 from three); Durant added 23, Nurkić 18. Q1 was theirs, 32-26, but the other 3 periods went 95-83 against them. They led by as many as 13. Bates-Diop's -15 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 @ LAC 111-138 — PHX notes
PHX lost 111-138. PHX shot 49% (38 of 77) to LAC's 62%, 10 of 30 from three, and went to the line 29 times to LAC's 23 — 25 points from the stripe to their 17. The glass went 25-44 against them. Durant led with 30 (10 of 17, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Booker added 20, Beal 15. Q3 was theirs, 28-30, but the other 3 periods went 108-83 against them. Booker's -31 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/11 @ LAL 127-109 — PHX notes
PHX won 127-109. PHX shot 49% (46 of 93) to LAL's 50%, 14 of 39 from three. PHX turned it over 12 times to LAL's 18. Beal led with 37 (14 of 21, 8 of 10 from three); Booker added 31, Durant 18. The hinge was Q3, 39-26: a lead of 14 became 27, and the lead reached 32. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/14 @ POR 127-116 — PHX notes
PHX won 127-116. PHX shot 61% (46 of 76) to POR's 45%, 13 of 28 from three. Booker led with 34 (14 of 22, 1 of 6 from three); Beal added 23, Durant 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-28: PHX came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 17. Nurkić was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/16 vs SAC 119-117 — PHX notes
PHX won 119-117. PHX shot 49% (42 of 85) to SAC's 50%, 17 of 37 from three, and went to the line 20 times to SAC's 12 — 18 points from the stripe to their 7. The glass went 46-31 for them. Allen led with 29 (10 of 17, 9 of 14 from three); Durant added 27, Booker 16. The hinge was Q4, 35-21: PHX came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 2. PHX trailed 51-68 at the half and won the second half 68-49. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/19 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 28 free throws a game; Williamson at 23 and McCollum at 18 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Booker at 25 and Durant at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 44 percent from three to Phoenix's 38 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 13 times a game to New Orleans's 10. Call it New Orleans 120, Phoenix 115.
1/21 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Booker at 31 and Durant at 24 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Turner at 17 and Hield at 16 a game. Without Nembhard (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Phoenix 121, Indiana 117, Indiana keeping it close.
1/22 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 112, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Booker at 32 and Durant at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; DeRozan at 21 and White at 20 a game. Without Craig (17 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and Chicago plus-2. Call it Phoenix 117, Chicago 113, Chicago keeping it close.
1/24 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Irving at 31 and Hardaway Jr. at 26 a game. Without Exum (9 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 31 and Booker at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-2 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 113 a night to Dallas's 122. Call it Dallas 118, Phoenix 117, Phoenix keeping it close.
1/09 @ DET 131-110 — SAC notes
SAC won 131-110. SAC shot 57% (54 of 94) to DET's 47%, 13 of 33 from three, and got to the line 14 times to DET's 21. Sabonis led with 37 (16 of 21); Murray added 32, Fox 26. The hinge was Q2, 39-18: SAC came in trailing by 18 and left it ahead by 3, and the lead reached 21. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/10 @ CHA 123-98 — SAC notes
SAC won 123-98. SAC shot 52% (46 of 89) to CHA's 40%, 13 of 35 from three, and went to the line 23 times to CHA's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 53-36 for them. Murray led with 25 (11 of 18, 3 of 7 from three); Sabonis added 24, Monk 20. The hinge was Q4, 28-18: a lead of 15 became 25. Len was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
1/12 @ PHI 93-112 — SAC notes
SAC lost 93-112. SAC shot 34% (32 of 95) to PHI's 43%, 8 of 38 from three, and went to the line 26 times to PHI's 18 — 21 points from the stripe to their 17. Fox led with 21 (5 of 15, 2 of 7 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Murray added 15, Monk 15. Q3 was theirs, 27-22, the deficit cut from 19 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 90-66 against them. Fox's -25 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/14 @ MIL 142-143 — SAC notes
SAC lost 142-143 in 1 overtime. SAC took 13 more shots (105 to 92), but shot 52% to MIL's 52%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 20 times to MIL's 32. Fox led with 32 (12 of 26, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Monk added 28, Huerter 26. Q1 was theirs, 37-32, but the other 4 periods went 111-105 against them.
1/16 @ PHX 117-119 — SAC notes
SAC lost 117-119. SAC shot 50% (46 of 92) to PHX's 49%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 20 fouls committed. The glass went 31-46 against them. Fox led with 33 (12 of 24, 6 of 10 from three); Sabonis added 21, Murray 18. Q1 was theirs, 39-27, but the other 3 periods went 92-78 against them. They led by as many as 22.
1/18 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 26 and Sabonis at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Ellis (2 straight), Mitchell (2 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mathurin at 16 and Turner at 14 a game. Without Haliburton (4 straight), Nesmith (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Sacramento 122, Indiana 117.
1/22 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Fox at 26 and Sabonis at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Mitchell (3 straight). 3 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Young at 22 and Murray at 20 a game. Without Hunter (15 straight), Krejčí (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Atlanta allowing 111 a night to Sacramento's 120 and the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 15 times a game to Sacramento's 12. Call it Sacramento 119, Atlanta 114.
1/25 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Kuminga at 22 a game. Without Paul (6 straight), Moody (4 straight), Payton II (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Fox at 24 and Huerter at 19 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Golden State wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Golden State 121, Sacramento 120, Sacramento keeping it close.
1/27 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 43 and Irving at 26 a game. Without Irving (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 126, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 26 and Barnes at 19 a game. Without Ellis (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Sacramento 123, Dallas 121, Dallas keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
CM C. Metu
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NU Nurkic
SACAL A. Len
AV A. Vezenkov
DF D. Fox
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
PHX/SAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Suns end with 23-4 run, beat Kings 119-117 on Durant's free throws. Allen ties team mark with 9 3s
PHOENIX -- — Kevin Durant made two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining and the Phoenix Suns staged a furious comeback to beat the Sacramento Kings 119-117 on Tuesday night.
Grayson Allen tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers and scored 29 points for the Suns, who trailed 113-96 before closing the game with a 23-4 run. Durant finished with 27 points, then tried to explain how the Suns rallied.
“I have no clue,” Durant said. "I usually know how the game is flowing, but I felt like this was a blur. Everything happened so fast. I guess we were all in a zone and locked in.
“They are a team that likes to play a free-flowing movement offense, so when you can disrupt that they turn into a different team. We pressured (Domantas) Sabonis a little bit more. We switched so many screens and made them play 1-on-1.”
Devin Booker had 16 points and 11 assists, Bradley Beal scored 13 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix.
The Kings led by 22 points with 8:22 to play, but Durant sparked a comeback with a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Eric Gordon later made consecutive 3-pointers to tie it at 115. He scored 13 points off the bench.
“We stayed in it. We stayed in the fight mentally,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “There were a lot of moments where our guys were struggling and frustrated, and we were getting our butts kicked.
“We have seen firsthand that in the modern NBA teams are never out of a game. We looked at the small lineup. We were going five 3-point shooters. We finally got Eric in there and he hit some big 3s. All of those guys really stepped up.”
Durant's free throws with 30 seconds left gave the Suns a 117-115 lead, their first since it was 3-2. De'Aaron Fox , who led all scorers with 33 points, tied it with a jumper with 19 seconds to go. But he then fouled Durant, who was attempting a long jumper. After his free throws, a last-second shot by the Kings was long.
Sabonis recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was his 23rd consecutive game with double figures in at least two of the columns and his league-high 36th double-double of the season.
“It’s a tough way to lose. Give them credit,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “We played a good 42 minutes. The last six minutes, we took some tough shots at the rim. We couldn’t score at the rim instead of just continuing to move the ball and move bodies, everything was really stagnant, we turned the ball over.
“We had no pace in the halfcourt, we were holding the ball a lot. We have to figure it out. Hopefully it’s something we can learn from.”
Keegan Murray scored 18 points, Sasha Vezenkov had 14 and Malik Monk finished with 13 points and eight assists for Sacramento, which has lost three in a row.