The Suns displayed plenty of grit but ultimately fell short, losing 125-118 in overtime.
The Phoenix Suns’ winning streak ended after eight games, but they put up a fight against the Sacramento Kings, falling 127-118 in overtime. Playing without Kevin Durant and missing Jusuf Nurkic in the second half, the Suns showed resilience. The loss moves the Suns to 8-2 on the year.
Bradley Beal led the charge with 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Despite tweaking his knee and noticeably limping, he scored all 7 of the Suns’ points in overtime, showcasing his grit and determination.
Bradley Beal is hurt, watch the clip where it happened.pic.twitter.com/XCfMkLsz7V
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) November 11, 2024
“It feels a little sore,” Beal said after the game. “But X-rays were negative, which is the best thing I could ask for. So probably just a bad bruise or something.”
Phoenix had no answer for the combination of De’Arron Fox and Demar DeRozan in the overtime period, as both scored 8 points an appeared to do so at will. Their ability to get to the midrange and execute was one thing that we knew the Kings would rely upon, and when it mattered most, they were assassins.
DeRozan ended with a game-high 34 points while Fox had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Keegan Murray added 14 points and 14 rebounds and Domantas Sabonis had 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.
On the Suns’ side of the ball, Jusuf Nurkic entered the game as a game-time decision with left ankle soreness. He played 15 minutes in the first half, but we didn’t see him again. Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro filled in the rest of the game in his absence.
Mike Budenholzer said Jusuf Nurkic couldn’t go in the second half because of his nagging ankle injury in Suns’ OT loss to Kings.
— DANA (@iam_DanaScott) November 11, 2024
Devin Booker had another tough shooting night, going 9-of-22 from the field. With a chance to seal the game, he missed a corner three and went 0-of-2 in overtime. Despite the struggles, he still managed to contribute 23 points and 12 assists.
The Suns head out on the road on a four-game road trip starting in Utah on Tuesday, which also will be their first NBA Cup game of the season. We’ll see you then Bright Siders.