The Sacramento Kings (32-48) travel to the Valley of the Sun to take on the Phoenix Suns (22-58) at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Monday night.
The Kings pulled off a surprising 114-112 upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday in their final game at Sleep Train Arena. Sacramento was paced by Darren Collison's 27 points, eight assists, five rebounds and a steal. The veteran guard got the start in place of the resting Rajon Rondo, who's now been officially shut down for the remainder of the season. Rudy Gay was next with 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks. He also sank two key free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory. DeMarcus Cousins had a quiet night by his standards, supplying 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Seth Curry paced the bench with 20 points, three assists and two rebounds.
The Kings are in third place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. Despite the surprising victory Saturday, they've lost three of their last five games, and three of their last four road contests as well.
Phoenix prevailed over the New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 121-100 on Saturday night. The Suns were paced by two stellar efforts from the bench, as Ronnie Price and Mirza Teletovic tallied 24 and 22 points, respectively. The former added three assists, three rebounds and a block, while the latter registered five rebounds, four assists and a block. Devin Booker paced the first unit with 16 points, five assists, four rebounds and a block. Tyson Chandler pitched in with 13 points, five boards, an assist and three blocks, and frontcourt mate Alex Len followed with a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included a pair of assists and a steal.
The Suns are in fourth place in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. After a seven-game losing streak, they've now won two in a row.
The Kings have won two of the three meetings between the clubs this season. Sacramento decimated Phoenix 142-119 in the first contest in which they hosted the Suns, and 116-94 in the second game. The Suns had taken the initial matchup in Arizona, 118-97.
