The last twenty seconds of that game:
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - TJ McConnell, who looked like prime Steve Nash out there carving up the Kings'defense.
Cory Joseph Award - Maurice Harkless. Mayhaps he should have Harked more.
MIkki Moore - Richaun Holmes. Following up a 20/20 game with a game in which you get completely demolished by the other team's centers and display the hand-eye coordination of a newborn fawn is not great. At least he hit all his free throws.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Schedule makers. Seriously? Two early matinee games two weeks in a row?
WTF Moment of the Game - Kings follow up a run to finally take the lead back in the fourth quarter by subbing out half of the group that got the team back in it. It went as you would expect. Also, this shot:
+++Game 11+++
Kings vs. Suns
@Golden One Center
Tough loss but the schedule plows ever on-and-on and the Kings now face the Phoenix Suns, a team in the headlines over the last week less for the guys on the court than for their owner apparently being a giant dingus and not a great person.
The Kings came away with a win in the last meeting between the two teams thanks to Harrison Barnes's buzzer beating three. Can they make it two in a row against the Suns? The Suns, it must be noted, haven't lost a game since that night, rolling off four wins in a row against Cleveland, the Pelicans, the Rockets, and the Hawks.
Phoenix will be without the services of Deandre Ayton, who had his own 20/20 night against us in our last meeting, but will have Cam Payne, who was injured for the last matchup. Considering how badly Elfrid Payton torched the Kings, that might be a good thing.
Either way, the thing that will differentiate this season from last year is this teams ability to win games before a loss can snowball into a nine-game losing streak like it did multiple times last season.
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Javale McGee- Gee, that was a stinker. Thankfully, Javale is not as good as either Domatas or Myles Turner and Holmes rarely has two bad games in a row. Also the Suns backup center is Frank Kaminsky so rebound time! Advantage: Holmes.
Harrison Barnes vs. Jae Crowder- The Suns get to have their revenge on Harrison. They've pretty much got the exact same personnel as before so I'm not sure what exactly that revenge would consist of but it's their chance for revenge nonetheless. Also Jae Crowder is currently shooting below 30% from three. Advantage: Barnes
Maurice Harkless vs. Mikal Bridges- After a double-digit scoring performance, Harkless went scoreless against the Pacers, prompting some members of a respective Kings fan forum to call for Marvin Bagley to get his minutes. While the situation isn't that dire yet, Harkless's inherent offensive limitations mean that his simple presence in the starting lineup can cause extra trouble for the Kings guards unless he's hitting his threes at a respectable level. The same would honestly probably be true of MBIII. Advantage: Bridges
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Devin Booker- Man, that was a really bad last shot attempt and, man, did Tyrese struggle against the Pacers' long guards. Good thing he can reset against *checks notes* one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA. Advantage: Booker
De'Aaron Fox vs. Chris Paul- Bad news: Fox's shot was off against the Pacers. Good news: it wasn't nearly as off as it was earlier in the year. Advantage: Paul
Kings Bench vs. Suns Bench- Davion had one of the most impactful 2 point nights in recent NBA history and his defense remains an absolute joy to watch. Meanwhile, Buddy is very good at shooting. The Suns have a solid bench as has been discussed before but they are incredibly thin at the big spot, where Frank "Cut for Chimezie Metu" Kaminsky is their only option that isn't a major draft bust. Cameron Johnson is having a bad shooting year so don't be surprised to see him suddenly incapable of missing. Y'know, since we're the Kings. Advantage: Kings
Final Predictions
It'll be tough. After that first meeting, the Suns will surely be more prepared to face the Kings than they were before. The Suns are missing Ayton though in what could possibly be a preview of their future once another franchise has signed Ayton to the max they were so eager not to give them. The Kings are coming off a disappointing loss while the Suns have a full day of rest on the Kings. But just like gambling, if you lose once, you gotta double or go home (I am a terrible gambler so this is not to be trusted). So it's still KANGZ SZN baby! Kings win! Our existential angst subsides for a day.
Kings 118, Suns 112
Awards Time
Tony Delk Memorial Award - TJ McConnell, who looked like prime Steve Nash out there carving up the Kings'defense.
Cory Joseph Award - Maurice Harkless. Mayhaps he should have Harked more.
MIkki Moore - Richaun Holmes. Following up a 20/20 game with a game in which you get completely demolished by the other team's centers and display the hand-eye coordination of a newborn fawn is not great. At least he hit all his free throws.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Schedule makers. Seriously? Two early matinee games two weeks in a row?
WTF Moment of the Game - Kings follow up a run to finally take the lead back in the fourth quarter by subbing out half of the group that got the team back in it. It went as you would expect. Also, this shot:
+++Game 11+++
Kings vs. Suns
@Golden One Center
Tough loss but the schedule plows ever on-and-on and the Kings now face the Phoenix Suns, a team in the headlines over the last week less for the guys on the court than for their owner apparently being a giant dingus and not a great person.
The Kings came away with a win in the last meeting between the two teams thanks to Harrison Barnes's buzzer beating three. Can they make it two in a row against the Suns? The Suns, it must be noted, haven't lost a game since that night, rolling off four wins in a row against Cleveland, the Pelicans, the Rockets, and the Hawks.
Phoenix will be without the services of Deandre Ayton, who had his own 20/20 night against us in our last meeting, but will have Cam Payne, who was injured for the last matchup. Considering how badly Elfrid Payton torched the Kings, that might be a good thing.
Either way, the thing that will differentiate this season from last year is this teams ability to win games before a loss can snowball into a nine-game losing streak like it did multiple times last season.
Matchups
Richaun Holmes vs. Javale McGee- Gee, that was a stinker. Thankfully, Javale is not as good as either Domatas or Myles Turner and Holmes rarely has two bad games in a row. Also the Suns backup center is Frank Kaminsky so rebound time! Advantage: Holmes.
Harrison Barnes vs. Jae Crowder- The Suns get to have their revenge on Harrison. They've pretty much got the exact same personnel as before so I'm not sure what exactly that revenge would consist of but it's their chance for revenge nonetheless. Also Jae Crowder is currently shooting below 30% from three. Advantage: Barnes
Maurice Harkless vs. Mikal Bridges- After a double-digit scoring performance, Harkless went scoreless against the Pacers, prompting some members of a respective Kings fan forum to call for Marvin Bagley to get his minutes. While the situation isn't that dire yet, Harkless's inherent offensive limitations mean that his simple presence in the starting lineup can cause extra trouble for the Kings guards unless he's hitting his threes at a respectable level. The same would honestly probably be true of MBIII. Advantage: Bridges
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Devin Booker- Man, that was a really bad last shot attempt and, man, did Tyrese struggle against the Pacers' long guards. Good thing he can reset against *checks notes* one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA. Advantage: Booker
De'Aaron Fox vs. Chris Paul- Bad news: Fox's shot was off against the Pacers. Good news: it wasn't nearly as off as it was earlier in the year. Advantage: Paul
Kings Bench vs. Suns Bench- Davion had one of the most impactful 2 point nights in recent NBA history and his defense remains an absolute joy to watch. Meanwhile, Buddy is very good at shooting. The Suns have a solid bench as has been discussed before but they are incredibly thin at the big spot, where Frank "Cut for Chimezie Metu" Kaminsky is their only option that isn't a major draft bust. Cameron Johnson is having a bad shooting year so don't be surprised to see him suddenly incapable of missing. Y'know, since we're the Kings. Advantage: Kings
Final Predictions
It'll be tough. After that first meeting, the Suns will surely be more prepared to face the Kings than they were before. The Suns are missing Ayton though in what could possibly be a preview of their future once another franchise has signed Ayton to the max they were so eager not to give them. The Kings are coming off a disappointing loss while the Suns have a full day of rest on the Kings. But just like gambling, if you lose once, you gotta double or go home (I am a terrible gambler so this is not to be trusted). So it's still KANGZ SZN baby! Kings win! Our existential angst subsides for a day.
Kings 118, Suns 112