DeMar DeRozan and the Sacramento Kings will try to build on a two-game win streak when they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night for an NBA Cup group match.
DeRozan, 36 and in his 17th season, moved to 24th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in a stirring comeback win over Minnesota on Monday, passing Nuggets legend Alex English. The Kings rallied from 10 points down with three minutes left to force overtime and come away with a 117-112 victory.
“You have to stay consistent with the things you do, but obviously, these are things that help build and create the identity and determination (of your team) and all those little things add up to the big things,” Kings coach Doug Christie said after the win.
“For me to watch them do that is super exciting. That’s the sign you look for and keep building on every day.”
The Kings will be without star Domantas Sabonis for at least another few weeks due to his partially torn meniscus. They have been boosted by the return of Keegan Murray, who tore a ligament in his thumb in the preseason.
Murray missed the first 15 games of the season but returned to action last week. He had 26 points in the win over Minnesota on 10-for-19 shooting.
“It’s on the defense and how we turn defense into offense, because we don’t want to run play after play and slow the game down,” Murray said. “We want to be able to force turnovers, play aggressive defense and make it tough for the other team. If they make tough shots and win the game, that’s just how the game is.”
Phoenix had its three-game win streak snapped in a lackluster performance Monday night against Houston, who held the Suns to a season-low 92 points. They played without third-leading scorer Grayson Allen with a quad injury and starting center Mark Williams sat out on the second night of a back-to-back.
Phoenix finished with just 11 assists and had 21 turnovers.
“Not a great number,” Suns first-year coach Jordan Ott said. “Some of it was them, some of it was us, could just never really get into it. Just clunking through it.”
The Suns, who sat sixth in the Western Conference standings entering Wednesday, have been one of the early surprises in the NBA.
Devin Booker continues to play at a high level with 26.4 points per game (15th in the NBA) on 46.9% shooting, and Dillon Brooks has scored 22.0 a night since coming over from Houston in the Kevin Durant trade. Allen is shooting 44.7% from three-point range, which is 13th in the NBA.
Phoenix is second in the NBA in steals per game (10.6) and is shooting 38.1% from the three-point line, the third best percentage in the league.
The Suns are 2-0 and the Kings are 0-2 in the NBA Cup West Group A standings. Phoenix downed the Kings 120-116 in the season opener.
