Kings Move to 5-1 With Thrilling Overtime Victory Against Suns

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Michael Malone referred to the Kings’ four-game jaunt on the road as a “business trip.”

It’s obvious he packed the right bags.

Down but never out, the Kings scrapped their way to a 114-112 double overtime victory over the Suns to push their record to an impressive 5-1. The 5-1 start is their best since 1999, a season in which the Kings finished 44-38 and made the NBA Playoffs.

Perhaps a sign of things to come?

The Suns came out firing on all cylinders, racking up points with ease and taking a 36-25 lead into the second quarter. It had the makings of a long night, but this year’s Kings squad is not the type to pack it in and move on.

Although careless with the ball, the Kings regained their defensive focus and chipped away at the deficit.

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In a weird turn of events, DeMarcus Cousins didn’t take his first shot until the 10:40 mark in the second quarter. Usually that spells doom, but the bench had different ideas.

Carl Landry and Nik Stauskas kept the Kings within striking distance with timely three-pointers and excellent post play. Without their contributions, tonight’s short flight to Oklahoma City would be riddled with down faces and doubt.

Still, the general feeling of the game was gloomy. The Kings never fell behind by more than 11-points, but the game felt as if it would play out in a back-and-forth style, with the Suns eventually winning out.

The Kings had different ideas.

Cousins regained form and torched the Suns in the second quarter. He went to the charity stripe 10 times in the quarter – making nine – to cut the deficit to just three-points at half, 58-55.

Darren Collison brought energy to the second half, breaking down the Suns defense and forcing the action. He changes games with his relentlessness on both sides of the ball. He’s a fighter who never panics and the perfect floor general for a young and talented team.

Collison’s energy, however, was not felt by the rest of the team. The Kings came out flat in the third quarter, falling behind by 11 as the period drew to a close.

Still, they pressed on.

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Cousins established his dominance in the fourth quarter, looking every bit the unstoppable force that he is. When paired with Landry, the Kings boast a fiery frontcourt that has basketball I.Q. oozing from their pores.

The Kings outscored the Suns by 11 in the final quarter and even had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Cousins fouled out on an illegal screen with :35 seconds left in the game. It was a blow to their chances, but in true form, the Kings rambled on.

The Suns stared overtime with a 7-0 run, but the Kings fought back to send it to double overtime with clutch play from Collison and Ben McLemore.

Double overtime came along, and so did Rudy Gay.

The Suns and Kings exchanged blows, but the Kings delivered the knockout punch.

Gay drilled a fade-away jumper with 1:07 left in double overtime, and after three defensive stands, the Kings were  5-1.

The Royal Purple are undefeated on the road with a 3-0 record. Their next opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, is without their two best players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Is 6-1 possible? I’m not betting against these Kings.