Sacramento Kings: Win Number Nine Comes Against the Phoenix Suns

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Phoenix Suns at home for their 9th win of the season. It was not an easy game so let’s dive into the takeaways!

The Sacramento Kings rallied late in the fourth to pull of a 99-92 win against the Phoenix Suns marking their ninth win of the season. The Kings now have a record of 9-18 as they ready themselves to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

There were plenty of things to be learned from this game so let’s start with the point guard situation:

George Hill is Alive

Don’t worry folks, George Hill is still here…for now. The veteran point guard had numerous low production and low minute games before he seemed to wake up against the Devin Booker-less Suns.

After not playing in the last game against Toronto, he played 28 minutes against Phoenix — the most of all the team’s three point guards.

Hill then went out and led the Kings with 18 points on 6/9 field goal shooting along, with 4/6 from the charity stripe. Hill was also 2/3 from deep.

Hill added three assists to his 18 points, along with three steals and seven rebounds. Hill’s energetic and revitalized performance seemed to come out of nowhere, but there should be no complaining as he led the Kings to a win.

Hill must be playing well in an effort boost his trade value after seeing it tumble quite a bit with recent performances. Teams must be looking at Hill with clearer eyes, now that he showed what he can really do when playing well.

Zach Randolph is Clutch (again)

Another veteran stepped up big for the Kings against Phoenix, and that was Zach Randolph. He started slow but finished the game with 17 points which was good enough to be second on the team.

He also added five assists (which led the team), one steal, and seven rebounds all while shooting 7/14 from the field and making all three of his free throws.

Let’s also not forget that Randolph had a clutch and-one basket late in the fourth as he drove in and bullied Suns center Tyson Chandler.

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Who knows if the Kings will move on from Randolph, but he has proven to be the clutch veteran this team has needed on many occasions — including that recent clutch corner three in overtime against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Bench is Fun

The Kings bench has been a pleasure to watch all season long. It’s even better when you consider the fact that they are all extremely young.

Against the Suns, the bench combined for over 50 points, shining brighter than the starters.

Buddy Hield didn’t have the best shooting night of his life, but he continues to make his presence felt off the bench.

He chipped in 14 points and two rebounds on 6/14 shooting (2/5 from deep) in 25 minutes.

Willie Cauley-Stein returned from injury to score 13 points, add two assists and grab six rebounds. He shot 5/12 from the field and was 3/7 from the free throw line. We saw him connect with Bogdan Bogdanovic a few times, something we missed while he was hurt.

Bogdanovic shot 3/9 from the field (2/7 from deep) but added four assists and five rebounds. He is becoming a key part of this offense and it is very fun watching him run the unit when he’s on the floor.

Kosta Koufos added eight points and eight rebounds while Frank Mason dropped six points, four assists and four rebounds. It was a solid day for the bench, despite the fact that a plethora of shots were missed.

Next: Kings Defeat Warriors on Road

Next Game

The Kings go on the road next, and their first opponent will be the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

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