As in Portland, the Suns sank in the third quarter in Sacramento. Already struggling in the first half against the speed of De'Aaron Fox (19 points) and the physical/vision mix of Domantas Sabonis (12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists), the team of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker remained in the match (65-54).
Except that the Arizona players took a surge after returning from the locker room, a 28-13 at 11/12 success including 4/4 from afar for the Kings, who definitively folded the match…
“Another complicated third quarter” could regret Frank Vogel after the meeting. “We have to be better. We have to execute things better on offense, we have to take shots at the right time. Between missed shots and turnovers, they were allowed to run too much. We know the Kings, we know that they play at a high pace but this third quarter is where they were able to show their best side. »
For the coach, it is difficult to prepare for the tempo imposed by the Kings, who were left with a defeat against the Celtics but who are currently in 4th place in the West (17 wins – 10 losses).
Frank Vogel ensures that his message gets across
Certainly, the Suns had a lot of injuries (Bradley Breal, Josh Okogie, Jusuf Nurkic) but the team is going through a complicated patch, with only 3 victories in their last 11 outings. Currently, Phoenix is suffering in defense while being too predictable in attack, the Kings having taken advantage of this to steal 7 balls from Kevin Durant.
“There was a lot of fast play, on offense and defense. I don't believe that our spacing was the right one in attack and, on the defensive withdrawal, we have to do it intelligently, not just ensure the withdrawal.” analyzes Devin Booker, regretting that the Suns have often lost sight of the many opposing shooters.
Frank Vogel also recognizes that Eric Gordon, although a starter, is not involved enough in the team's offensive play. Nevertheless, despite the obvious frustration, he dismisses the idea of an internal break…
“The message is getting through” he assures to conclude. “It's just that we're not playing well enough at the moment. Guys have to stay connected and get through this. There is frustration because we lose, and that's normal. It would be a real problem if that wasn't the case. »
With this new defeat, the Suns in any case display a barely balanced record (14 wins – 14 losses), tied with the Warriors, and could soon exit the Top 10 in the West.
