Game Preview: The Suns want to remain the real kings in the West and are pushing for 8 in a row

WHO: Phoenix Suns (8-1) vs. Sacramento Kings (5-4)

When: 6:00 p.m. Arizona time

Where: Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona

Regard: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports

Hear: KMVP 98.7

In the first nine games of the season, your Phoenix Suns have already played twice against the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. The upcoming tenth game of the season will be the first of these five Matches against the Sacramento Kings, with a second game following in two days.

These early games (and wins!) against Western Conference rivals have produced excellent results; The Suns moved to the top of the table at the start of the season.

What can we expect in this Suns vs. Kings game as both teams have retooled for the 2024-25 season with a clear focus on a winning season?

The Suns enter this game off to a good start against their conference rivals the Mavericks with another well-executed, decisive performance, albeit without the services of early MVP candidate Kevin Durant. The Suns are on a seven-game winning streak and have a stellar 8-1 record this season, while the Kings are looking to build on their 5-4 record to start the season.

As Suns fans, we know what the revamped Phoenix roster looks like. Solid bank contributions – check. It’s raining threesomes – check. Virtuosos of Clutch Time – check.

However, what should we know about the kings?

In recent times, the Sacramento Kings have been the feel-good story of the NBA. There was a return to playoff basketball. The whole “light the beam” thing. And they have some quality guys – great ambassadors for the game – led by Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.

But they, much like the Suns, have retooled their equipment and added their own midrange stud. Enter DeMar DeRozan. While some people in the Kings fan base questioned the fit, it looks like Derozan has provided veteran stability and contributed to the fluid offense the Kings have been looking for.

Note how FanSided’s FanSided Sacramento team’s Elijah Hamilton put it four games into the Kings’ season.

The six-time All-Star has scored 20 points or more in each of the Kings’ first four games, joining an elite group of Sacramento greats like Chris Webber and Oscar Robertson who posted lengthy 20-point streaks early in their careers with the Kings have franchises behind them.

UPDATE | DeMar continues to score for Sacramento

All of this means that DeMar DeRozan represents a huge piece of the puzzle for Sacramento as he has acclimated quicker than many expected. And adding some additional equipment to what the Kings have tried to do.

Likely starters

Injury report

Suns

• Ryan Dunn – PROBABLY (left ankle sprain)
• Jusuf Nurkic – QUESTIONABLE (left ankle pain)
• Kevin Durant – OUT (left calf strain)
• Collin Gillespie – OUT (left ankle sprain)

Kings

• Devin Carter – OUT (left shoulder)
• Orlando Robinson – OUT (Left MCL Sprain)

Uniform matchup

What you should pay attention to

The focus of the suns? Without Durant in the mix, it will be a matter of competing against a team that has a similar build to the Suns – strong offense from every position on the court, heads-up play with accomplished veterans, primary ball handler and multiple All -Star player.

Can the Suns mitigate DeMar DeRozan’s impressive offensive performance to begin his career as a King?

After scoring just 13 points against the feisty Clippers, I would LOVE to see DeMar stay under 20 points in consecutive games. If the Suns could pull that off, it would be a feather in their cap and a notch on their belt. Certainly it’s more of a matter of stopping DeMar from scoring 20+ points Side mission At this point, it’s all about winning, but when a team focuses on setting and achieving smaller goals, bigger-picture motivation develops.

Perhaps this is where the bench’s strength in defense comes to the fore, with more defensive minutes from Josh Okogie?

Fun fact

The Suns have played the Kings a total of 250 times [regular season]with wins ahead: 146-104. The Suns are currently on a three-game winning streak against the Kings, dating back to last season [January 16th, 2024].

Key to a Suns win

The Kings are currently 5th in the team rankings with 118.8 points per game and 4th in FG% (48.4%). They win their games with a health advantage of 5.6 (6th in +/-). Where the Suns have shined so far this season is in crunch time, completing 3% passes (top 9 in assists per game).

The Suns have a slight edge this season when it comes to fouls, rebounds and surprisingly blocked shots. Realistically, the key to a Suns victory is to wear down the Kings, control the rebounds on both sides and force the Kings into isolation offense – thus throwing them out of their rhythm. Seeing Nurkic get everything he wanted against the Mavericks was beautiful – more of that from the Bosnian beast please!

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

forecast

After a career start to the season, don’t expect your Phoenix Suns to collectively take their foot off the accelerator any time soon. With the NBA Cup group games just around the corner, the Suns are positioning themselves as one of the LEAGUE’s three best teams.

Expect this non-KD game to be a field study in offensive firepower!

I expect this game to be wild:

Suns 127, Kings 116

When the game is over, join the Suns JAM Session podcast as we discuss it live on YouTube.

What are you looking for in this matchup with the Suns prevailing and vying for an 8-game winning streak? TRUE Kings of the Western Conference?