• Tweet

• Tweet

The Phoenix Suns are in the fight of their life, so to speak.  They are in a playoff chase at the moment and prior to their game Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, were 3 1/2 games behind the #8 Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference playoff hunt.  Which is unusual only because if their win-loss record was used in the Eastern Conference, they would be #5 – just ahead of the Atlanta Hawks. 

But the Sacramento Kings brought their A-game to Arco Arena as they shot 51.6% from the floor, which wiped out a great effort from the Suns’ Steve Nash, who scored 31 points.  Seven Sacramento players scored in double-digits as they outpaced Phoenix 124-116.

For three quarters, it was the track meet you would come to expect anytime the Suns are your opponent as the Kings were unusually consistent as they scored 35 in each of the first three periods, taking a 105-96 lead into the final quarter.  Trailing by as many as 11 points, Phoenix cut Sacramento’s lead to 118-114 on a Shaquille O’Neal basket with 2:52 left in the game; however, Spencer Hawes’ jumper and a pair of jumpers by Rashad McCants sealed the win for the Kings.

Sacramento’s high scorer was Jason Thompson with 21 points, 8 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block while Hawes added a career-high 20 with 10 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks; Andres Nocioni and Francisco Garcia pitched in 19 each – with Nocioni draining three 3-pointers, grabbing 9 rebounds, dishing out an assist and blocking 3 shots while Garcia grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 2 assists along with 3 steals and a block.  Kevin Martin chipped in 17 with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal while Beno Udrih poured in 16 with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block.

Phoenix was led by Nash with 31 points (including five 3-pointers), 4 rebounds and 14 assists while O’Neal added 24 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block; Grant Hill scored 19 with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocks while Jared Dudley chipped in 17 with 11 rebounds, an assist and 3 steals.  Jason Richardson poured in 16 (including four 3-pointers) with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block.  Sacramento (16-56) plays again on Tuesday when they host the New Orleans Hornets while Phoenix (40-34) returns home to host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.