Kings get revenge, defeat Suns at Arco
The Sacramento Kings got a bit of revenge this afternoon against the Phoenix Suns, defeating them at Arco 107-100. After getting throttled on Thursday 118-100, the Kings simply wouldn't let the Suns get the win in Sunday's rematch.
Mike Bibby led the Kings w/ 37 points, while hitting 9 3-pointers. Ron Artest contributed 24 points in his return, and John Salmons put in 17. Kings guard Kevin Martin 1 point in 5 minutes before leaving the game w/ double-vision, resulting from a poke in the eye. I wouldn't expect him to miss any additional games.
The Suns actually played pretty well on offense, but it was the defense today that failed them. Shooting 36% in the 4th quarter probably didn't help either, but they couldn't stop Bibby and the Kings to compete for the win. Phoenix fouled way too much in the loss also, losing the battle of the charity stripe 30-13; Amare Stoudemire took 9 FT's and Steve Nash took the other four. Pretty weak effort by the Suns as far as intensity and hustle.
Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 27 points off the bench. At one point in the 2nd quarter, Barbosa had scored 17 points in a row for the Suns. Looking back, that scoring spree probably didn't help the “team“ effort... although the Suns wouldn't be in the game had Leandro not put on a show. Stoudemire put in 23 points and 11 rebounds, Nash 18 pts, 9 assists and 7 turnovers.
Are the Suns worrying yet?
The loss puts Phoenix only 3 losses ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, who are just sitting and waiting for Dallas or Phoenix to stumble down the stretch. Look for the Spurs, Mavs and Suns all to be very competitive as the season winds down - homecourt is at stake and playoff matchups could be critical.