The Sacramento Kings (33-48) defeated the Phoenix Suns (22-59) 105-101 at Talking Stick Arena on Monday.
With the season winding down and only a handful of games across the league left to play, the Kings came away with a road win without DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. Cousins was shut down for the season and Rondo was written down for rest, although it is unlikely he plays the final game on the schedule. Sacramento had little trouble getting out to a lead before halftime, but poor foul shooting down the stretch and a lowly 18 point fourth quarter gave Phoenix some daylight to catch up. The Suns were also shorthanded, as Tyson Chandler (concussion) was sidelined alongside Brandon Knight and Archie Goodwin (ankle).
Seth Curry had a career night and flashed some of his older brothers range and passing ability which had the commentators regularly saying “we have seen the before!”. Curry finished with 20 points, which led all Kings scorers, and added 15 assists and three rebounds. Ben Mclemore joined Curry in the backcourt and contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, while Rudy Gay pitched in some highlight reel dunks on his way to 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Quincy Acy was able to knock down the two needed free throws to prevent a last second chance for the Suns in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter and finished with nine points off the bench.
The Phoenix starters mostly finished in double figures and that included three players who eclipsed 10 rebounds, but it was Mirza Teletovic who shined in 34 minutes off the bench. Teletovic added 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, one assist and two steals. The undrafted 30-year old forward has strung together an impressive five game stretch, where he has averaged 21.7 points on 47 percent shooting and proved to be a bright spot on the Suns underwhelming roster. Alex Len, Jon Leuer and P.J. Tucker finished with double-doubles in the points and rebounds department, and as a unit, Phoenix dominated the rebounding battle 51-40, but their 41 percent shooting kept them out of the game.
Both teams play their final games of the season on Wednesday, as the Kings will visit the Houston Rockets (40-41) in a win or go home game for James Harden’s crew, while the Suns host the playoff bound Los Angeles Clippers (52-28).
