Recap: Suns scramble for a win vs Kings, 116-100

The game was close through two and a half quarters, but the Suns pulled away from there to beat the Kings 116-100.

The thees finally fell for the Suns, making 14-35, and Deandre Ayton tallied a double double while playing strong defense.

Cam Johnson had 21 points off the bench and Mikal Bridges scored 22 to lead the starters.

Game Flow:

Having depth is key for the Phoenix Suns in the back-to-back, but with bad news, Jalen Smith is a late scratch and will not be able to help take up some minutes to give rest to the starters.

It will be interesting to see how Monty Williams shares the minutes off the bench. A physical game from the Kings will lead to valuable minutes off the bench for a player or players to step up.

First half

The focus to open up the game for the Suns is to get the ball to Deandre Ayton leading to one turnover and a blocked shot by Marvin Bagley III. The Sacramento Kings continue to put pressure on the Suns on the defensive, bleeding over from the night before.

First points for Ayton are from down town, grabbing three pointer of the season.

Frist timeout is called by the Kings with 7:01 left in the first quarter with the Suns taking 12-10 lead. Ayton is being fed the ball early and has managed to put up five points and three rebounds in the early going and most importantly zero fouls.

Kings came back with two quick threes out of the time out to take a 16-12 lead.

What was a 6-0 run by the Kings turned into a 10-0 run. Monty lets the Suns play on without stopping play and regrouping.

Devin Booker finally gets a bucket to go down, leading to an and-1, followed by a Cam Johnson three-pointer closing the gap to a 22-20 Kings lead.

With Chris Paul on the bench, Booker is facilitating the offense hitting Mikal Bridges for his second 3-pointer of the night.

Cam Payne off the bench is getting things going with five points and keeping things close.

Unable to get a last second shot off the end the quarter, Booker throws the ball one handed at the back board in frustration.

The Suns trail the Kings 33-28 to end the first quarter.

Jevon Carter and Johnson continue the help offensively early in the second quarter with back to back threes. Johnson follows it up with a three-point-play after being hacked on a jump shot.

Timeout by the Kings with 9:22 as the Suns tie the game at 39 with a quick and easy layup by Bridges.

The Suns come out of the timeout sloppy and unable to knockdown a shot. Monty calls a timeout as the Suns trail the Kings now 43-41. It is notable that this might be the Cam Johnson game. He now has 11 points and doing his part going 2-2 from behind the arc.

Langston Galloway comes in and does his job, helping the Suns offense. A quick five points helps the Suns tie the game up at 46. The ball movement to give Galloway a look at the rim early is a big part of getting him in rhythm. He is the fire starter for the the Suns when they need it most.

Frank Kaminski is playing those valuable minutes I spoke of in the beginning. Nothing too flashy but very effective at using his body to get a offensive board and a put back layup.

The Suns finish the first-half very strong leading 56-53.

Ayton with his best first-half of the season with 7-points/ 8-rebounds/ 4-assists and only one foul!

Booker was quite when it comes to scoring but is looking to get his teammates involved with four assists.

The refs give the Suns only a couple chances at the line as Booker is still looking for respect and unable to draw fouls, only going 1-1 from the line in the first-half.

Second half

The Suns begin the second-half sloppy. A couple turnovers lead to easy baskets for the Kings who take a 61-56 lead after a 8-0 run.

Timeout by Monty... finally as the Kings take a 64-58 lead with Buddy Hield finishing off a 11-2 run with another 3.

Booker still seems distant from teammates this game, not showing support or talking to teammates on the court... maybe its just me?

Sacramento is continuing to play tough on defense. They are making everything very difficult for Booker and the Suns offense.

6:00 in the 3rd and the Kings have a 70-65 lead. It is a back-n-forth game that will most likely come down to the last possession.

Johnson again off the bench with another 3 to tie the game at 73. The 3’s that would not go down last night are falling tonight. The Suns are now 11-24 from 3.

Galloway with a 4-point play from the corner giving the Suns a 81-76 lead. Always locked and loaded. The Suns are now on a 11-4 run.

Biggest lead in the game for the Suns as they go up 88-78 with Frank finishing off a layup that barely went in.

The Suns close out the 3rd quarter with a 90-78 lead. Johnson is leading the way off the bench with 17 points and Payne drawing two big charges on De’Aaron Fox.

Starting the fourth quarter off right, the Suns continue to serge but need to continue to play smart as this game is far from over. With that said, a 98-84 lead is a solid way to begin the fourth.

Paul with 8 points and 10 assists is starting the fourth quarter and will likely head to the bench for a rest when Booker comes in to finish the fourth.

Forcing another turnover (13 now for the Suns) leads to an easy basket for Bridges who now has 19 points. The Suns are now up 102-88 and still show focus on their face as Booker takes the ball away leading to a Bridges 3.

Pulling away, the Suns lead goes to 19 as the Kings seem tired and careless... Booker looks happy now. I just get worried sometime. Now that the team is grinning from ear to ear, this one looks like a wrap.

The Suns win! The Suns win!