Phoenix Suns basketball is back, and the team opened its season on Wednesday night with a 120-116 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was a tale of two halves. In the first? The Suns were outscored 71-54
and shot 39.3% from the field. The second? Phoenix imposed its will, outscoring Sacramento 66-45.
Phoenix found its rhythm by living in the paint, scoring 64 of its 120 points inside, most of them coming in the first three quarters. By attacking early and often, the team forced Sacramento’s defense to collapse, opening up clean looks that finally started to fall.
The Suns didn’t force a ton of turnovers — only 13, good for 19 points — but they hustled, they disrupted, and they made life miserable for the Kings. They also dominated the glass, winning the rebound battle 51–37 on their way to their first victory of the season.
With Mark Williams coming off the bench, coach Jordan Ott rolled with Oso Ighodaro in the starting lineup. That didn’t mean Williams was quiet. In 24 minutes, he dropped six points and grabbed 11 boards, doing the dirty work that doesn’t always make the highlight reel. Devin Booker was his usual smooth operator, going 10-of-19 for 31 points with five rebounds and three assists. Dillon Brooks added 22, while Grayson Allen chipped in 18 and seven assists as a starter.
Even with Zach LaVine torching them for 30 and DeMar DeRozan adding 29, Phoenix refused to fold. The Suns shot a rough 29.4% from deep (10-for-34), but this one wasn’t won on the stat sheet. It was about attitude, grit, and belief. Down 20 at one point, they clawed back and stole it.
The fight, the focus, the energy. They delivered tonight.
Game Flow
First Half
Ryan Dunn, who spoke to the crowd at the Mortgage Matchup Center before tipoff, brought the energy early. His effort showed in every scramble for a rebound and every push to score. As the starting power forward, his presence on the glass mattered even more with Sacramento missing Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray. Winning the boards was going to have to be key if Phoenix was to be successful.
Effort defined the opening stretch. The defense came out flying, forcing turnover after turnover in the first quarter. But the payoff wasn’t there. They grabbed offensive rebounds. They created chances. They couldn’t finish enough of them.
Phoenix didn’t make its first jumper until 4:46 in the first quarter.
While Phoenix was missing shots, the Kings were dialed in. They shot 56.5% from the field in the first, led by the 7 points from DeMar DeRozan and 7 from Malik Monk off of the bench. Sure, Phoenix had 7 more shots in the quarter. They were winning the possession battle. But they shot a mere 30% from the field (9-of-30) and were 0-of-7 from beyond the arc. Dillon Brooks was 3-of-11 (say what?!). Booker was 2-of-6.
After one, Phoenix trailed 29-19.
The second quarter started with Sacramento stretching the lead again. A quick 8-2 run fueled by a couple of lazy live-ball turnovers put the Suns down 16.
It took until the 8:03 mark for Phoenix to hit its first three, a corner shot from Ryan Dunn that trimmed the lead to 15. The Kings immediately answered with their fourth made three of the half.
Devin Booker started to wake up midway through the quarter, attacking the rim with intent. He drew contact on three straight drives, finishing each one for an and-1. He couldn’t cash in the free throws, but the aggression was finally there.
A late push by Phoenix cut the deficit to 14, but Zach LaVine answered with a dagger. He scored 16 of his 22 first half points in the quarter, including a three with three seconds left. That capped a stretch where the Kings put up 42 points on 72.7% shooting and went 6-of-9 from deep.
The Suns found more rhythm on offense, hitting 50% from the field and 3-of-10 from three. But 41 of their 54 points in the half came in the paint or at the line. If you’re waiting for midrange magic like years past, this isn’t that team.
Heading into the half, Phoenix trailed 71-54.
Second Half
The Suns opened the third quarter with energy again. If you’re searching for good vibes, they’ve got plenty. The issue is turning those vibes into points. Every time Phoenix made a push, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine punched right back. They felt like a pair of T-800 Terminators, locked in and unrelenting.
Phoenix wasn’t hitting from outside, so they leaned into what worked. Attack the rim. Of their first 16 points in the quarter, 12 came in the paint.
The inside game began to open up the outside game for Phoenix, and provided the open space, the Suns started knocking down some three-point shots. A 9–0 run cut the deficit to just seven points for the Phoenix Suns midway through the third quarter, capitalized by a blindside steal by Devin Booker that led to a fast break dunk.
It was an impressive third quarter from Phoenix. After falling behind early, they gave you a reason to stand, to cheer, to believe. The defensive effort was elite, and for the first time in a while, the crowd was electric. No fake noise needed. The fans were all in, roaring behind the Valley as the team outscored Sacramento 36-21 in the quarter.
Devin Booker and Grayson Allen each dropped 10, with Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro adding 5 apiece. Phoenix shot 62.5% in the third and trimmed the deficit to 92-90 heading into the fourth. And the Morg? It was ALIVE.
With 10:29 left in the fourth, Royce O’Neale sniped a three-pointer that gave the Suns their first lead since 6-4.
Phoenix opened the fourth on an 11-2 run.
The ball movement in the fourth was sharp, with the team finding open shooters and creating rhythm through the inside-out game. Defensively, they kept the pressure on, forcing the Kings out of their comfort zones. LaVine and DeRozan were still a problem, but Phoenix did well to limit everyone else’s impact.
Sacramento tried to attack the paint, but every drive met resistance. Midway through the third, the Suns had already tallied three blocks. Mark Williams made his presence felt, altering shots all over the floor.
The Kings refused to back down, and as the four-minute mark approached, the game tightened to 106-102, advantage Suns. Dillon Brooks, the master of disruption, found himself in a brief exchange with DeMar DeRozan. No techs, no whistles, just attitude. The back-and-forth continued until both players picked up fouls on each other with about two and a half minutes left, marking Brooks’ fifth.
Phoenix’s intensity drew plenty of attention from the officials as whistles began to dominate the final minutes. With 1:20 remaining, the game was knotted at 110. Then, with a minute to go, Zach LaVine baited Brooks into a foul on a three-point attempt and calmly knocked down all three.
Up Next
One down. 81 to go.
The Suns now hit the road for their first trip of the season, a three-city swing through Los Angeles, Denver, and Salt Lake City. Up first is a Friday night matchup with the Clippers, likely played in front of a somewhat distracted crowd, since Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays will be happening at the same time.
We’ll see ya then, Bright Side!
