In a dramatic game, the Phoenix Suns, led by Kevin Durant, executed a remarkable comeback to edge out the Sacramento Kings 119-117 during Tuesday’s NBA action.
Durant’s crucial free throws with just 1.8 seconds left on the clock sealed the win for the Suns.
Grayson Allen was a standout for Phoenix, tying a team record with nine 3-pointers and amassing 29 points. The Suns overcame a significant deficit, trailing 113-96 before embarking on a stunning 23-4 run to clinch the game.
Durant, who scored 27 points, was at a loss to fully explain the Suns’ late surge.
“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 added 16 points and 11 assists, Bradley Beal contributed 13 points, and Jusuf Nurkic recorded a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix.
The Kings had a commanding 22-point lead with just over 8 minutes remaining, but Durant’s pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter ignited the Suns’ comeback.
Eric Gordon’s back-to-back three-pointers tied the game at 115, contributing 13 points off the bench.
Suns coach Frank Vogel praised his team’s resilience, emphasizing their mental toughness and adaptability, especially when switching to a lineup with five three-point shooters.
“We stayed in it. We stayed in the fight mentally,” 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 in the final 30 seconds initially gave the Suns a lead, which was quickly equalized by the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, who led all scorers with 33 points.
However, a late foul on Durant allowed him to make the winning free throws.
Domantas Sabonis of the Kings recorded his 11th triple-double of the season, with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, marking his 23rd consecutive game with double figures in at least two statistical categories.
Kings coach Mike Brown acknowledged the difficulty of the loss, attributing the final minutes’ poor execution and stagnant offense as key factors.
“It’s a tough way to lose. Give them credit,” 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.
The Kings, led by Keegan Murray with 18 points and contributions from Sasha Vezenkov and Malik Monk, have now suffered three consecutive losses.
Looking ahead, the Kings will face the Indiana Pacers at home on Thursday, while the Suns are set to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
READ MORE…
