The winners of the Kings, the Suns remain undefeated in the NBA Cup

Still undefeated in this NBA Cup, Suns had the opportunity to confirm the ticket for the next stage in case of victory on the floor of Sacramento, against the team from Kings who just took down the Nuggets and the Wolves. To put all the odds on their side, Phoenix started the match strongly with a 7-0 run from the start that they carried alone Dillon Brooks. I DeMar DeRozan opens the Kings counter, Sacramento accumulates ball losses and sees Devin Booker (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) gives the Arizona franchise an 11-point lead after just three minutes of play (15-4).

The Phoenix star pushes the Kings a little further by drawing numerous fouls, which allows the Phoenix to quickly take a twenty point lead and lead 41-16 after only twelve minutes of play!

In the second act, the Kings slightly corrected the bad start of the match. If Zach LaVine lands a big dunk, the one that shows off the most is Keon Ellis. He multiplies good defensive actions and is the only one capable of shooting from a distance in this second quarter. After that, Sacramento returns to 18 points (60-42). However, the locals trailed 67 to 45 when they reached the locker room.

Late awakening of kings

After the break, we had to wait three minutes to see Phoenix score its first basket, which went over the top Mark Williams (21 points, 16 rebounds) who managed 2+1. The Suns had a complicated third quarter where they lacked skill, which allowed Sacramento to run up the score. With two consecutive winning shots, Keegan Murray (19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) finished with a score of 12-0 in favor of the Californians (72-63). Malik Monk (15 points, 6/12 shooting and 3/6 from distance) takes control from his wing player and scores the last eight points for the Kings who still trail 73-83 at the end of this third act.

The Suns start the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, but the Kings don’t concede defeat. Zach LaVine and Russell Westbrook both hit 3-pointers to pull Sacramento back within nine points (93-86), but Phoenix went on another run to regain a 16-point lead. This boost sounds the death knell for the Kings, who continue to rack up turnovers as Phoenix regains its prowess behind the arc.

In the end, Phoenix comes out 112-100 and still remains undefeated in this NBA Cup 2025. In the event of a win against the Thunder this Friday, Jordan Ott’s men will ensure that they play the quarterfinals at home. On the Kings side, elimination is complete.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Fatal delay of ignition for kings. Sacramento completely missed the start of the game with three turnovers in just three minutes that allowed Phoenix to quickly take a ten-point lead. In addition to these turnovers, the skill wasn’t there as DeMar DeRozan’s teammates only made 35% of their shots with a terrible 14% from distance. At the end of the first twelve minutes, they trailed by 25 points and were unable to make up for it as they won the second and third quarters.

– Malik Monk and Keegan Murray sounded the rebellion. If Sacramento didn’t win, Doug Christie’s men could have hoped, especially thanks to a solid third quarter where the duo of Malik Monk – Keegan Murray showed up. This tandem allowed the Kings to get back to within nine points, but it collapsed late in the game and the team’s stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine failed to take over.

– “Roleplayers” who respond. On the Phoenix side, this victory should obviously be attributed to the “role players” who prevented Sacramento from turning the match. At the end of the meeting, Jamaree Bouie etc Collin Gillespie made important shots to give the Suns some breathing room. The latter also had a game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, just like Mark Williams, the author of a big double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.