Kings vs. Suns Preview – By the Numbers

February 13, 2024

After what feels like one of the most forgettable games shoved into Superbowl Sunday, the Kings continue their road trip on the first night of a back-to-back against the Suns. Phoenix is coming off a 1-point loss to the Warriors, but they are on a roll as of late. Winners of 12 of their last 16, the Suns are figuring things out as they get healthy.

Over that 16 game stretch, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have played every game, and Devin Booker played in 15 of the 16. There was a lot of talk last week about their improved depth, but it appears that when all 3 stars are healthy, the other pieces may not matter.

In the last 16 games, KD, Beal, and Booker have averaged a combined 77.7 Points, 16.1 Rebounds, and 16.5 Assists on 53.5/39.7/83.3% shooting splits. They’re all above 50% shooting from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. They are arguably the best scoring trio in the league right now. What makes it so difficult for the Kings is that Phoenix can have at least one of them on the court at all times.

The good news for the Kings is that the Suns haven’t been able to slow down Sabonis in the previous 3 matchups this season. Domas has scored 64 Points on 73% shooting from the field, grabbed 40 Rebounds, and dished out 28 Assists.

In the last game that the Suns came back from the 22 Point deficit late, Sabonis had 21 Points on 9-of-11 (81.8%) from the field. When the Kings had their big lead with 8:22 left, Sabonis had 18 Points on 8-of-10 from the field. He was unstoppable inside, the Kings went away from it, and the Suns came back to win.

De’Aaron Fox has been struggling this calendar year, but Sabonis seems to just keep getting better:

  • 2023: 31 Games | 19.4 Points | 12.3 Rebounds | 7.5 Assists | 59.3/35.1/66.1% Splits
  • 2024: 21 Games | 20.5 Points | 14.4 Rebounds | 9.4 Assists | 66.8/59.1/75.9% Splits

I’ve asked for it before, but especially against an opponent that hasn’t shown how to stop Sabonis, more shot attempts for the All-NBA center is never a bad idea.

Last but certainly not least, the Swing Stat of the game. Last game, Grayson Allen torched the Kings for 29 Points on 9-of-14 (64.3%) from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon chipped in 13 Points, and Nurkic added 10 on 4-of-5 (80%) from the field. Their role players showed out to for a total of 63 Points (taking out Booker, KD, and Beal).

For tonight, I’m looking for the Kings role players to outscore the Suns role players. The 3 stars are plain and simple to take out for the equation for the Suns, and for the Kings it’s clearly Fox and Sabonis. I’m going with Monk as the third player to take out for the Kings, but could also be convinced it should be Keegan. Monk has been more consistent though, so he gets the nod for me.

With all that said, which teams ‘others’ can score more? The Kings depth is getting tested with Sasha Vezenkov out for a long stretch, and someone will have to step up to fill in his production.