The Phoenix Suns aim to extend their winning streak to eight games when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. However, they’d prefer to avoid yet another nail-biting finish.
On Friday night, Jusuf Nurkic made a crucial free throw with just eight-tenths of a second remaining, securing a 114-113 victory for the Suns over the Dallas Mavericks. This win marked their seventh consecutive victory and their third straight win by three or fewer points. Phoenix’s eight wins this season have come by a total of just 37 points.
The Suns have managed to pull off close-game magic at home as well. Prior to the Dallas game, they went 3-0 on a homestand, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers by six, the Philadelphia 76ers by two, and the Miami Heat by three.
Despite featuring stars like Kevin Durant, who is out for about two weeks with a left calf strain, and Devin Booker, Nurkic has been the Suns’ most productive fourth-quarter player. He boasts a team-best plus-21 in the fourth quarter, leading in fourth-quarter field goal percentage (75.0) and offensive rebounds (six), and trailing only Royce O’Neale by one for the team lead in total rebounds.
On Sunday, Nurkic will face Kings star Domantas Sabonis, who recorded his eighth consecutive double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds in Friday’s 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sabonis had three consecutive triple-doubles last season, nearly achieving a fourth, during a rare five-game season series with the Suns. Two of those triple-doubles came in losses at Phoenix in January and February, where Sabonis posted impressive stats of 21 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 35 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists, respectively.
One of the Kings’ biggest issues on Friday was their 3-point shooting. They missed 23 of their 26 attempts from deep (11.5 percent), marking the fifth time in six games they’ve shot 33.3 percent or less from beyond the arc.
Sabonis went 0-for-2 from deep, and apart from De’Aaron Fox’s 2-for-5 performance, Sacramento’s starters missed all 13 of their attempts, including six straight misses by Keegan Murray.
Despite the early-season slump, Kings coach Mike Brown expressed confidence that his team would bounce back and fire against the Suns.
Currently, the Kings rank near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage at 30.7 percent. In contrast, the Suns, with O’Neale hitting 52.6 percent and Durant 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, are among the league’s best at 38.3 percent.
