Many fans had turned the game off by the time the Suns were down 22 with 8:10 remaining. Then Frank Vogel went small with KD at center flanked by four shooters: Booker, Beal, Allen, Gordon. The Suns finished on a 32-8 run, capping off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history.
The Suns had looked dead in the water all game long. They were lifeless on D, letting the Kings get any look they wanted. The Kings ended shooting 50 percent, making 18 threes on 45 percent shooting. But in the last 8 minutes, the Suns defended, especially Kevin Durant, they got out and ran, and they led an all-out blitzkrieg that left the Kings shell-shocked. Watch it in all its glory.
Will it be a win that galvanizes the team and turns the season around? We’ll see. For one night at least, the Footprint was rocking. Grayson Allen said after the game it was the loudest he’d heard all season. This is likely due in part to Bright Side Night put on by the folks at https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/ who helped send nearly 3,000 kids to the game. Rex Chapman was the pregame special guest.
It was also the first time Mercury player and studio analyst Sophie Cunningham took on the part of color analyst during the in-game broadcast. She seemed like a natural born to do the part. She even did the postgame interview of Kevin Durant.
While KD finished with 27 points, 15 in the 4th, he correctly noted that it was Grayson Allen who kept the Suns in the game. For a long time he was the only Sun in double figures. He finished with the Suns high of 29 points along with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Amazingly, for the 2nd time in the last 2 weeks, he tied the Suns record with 9 made threes.
Two other players had double-doubles for the Suns. Devin Booker finished with 16 points and 11 assists, 4 rebounds and only 2 turnovers. Jusuf Nurkic finished with 10 pts and 15 rebounds. The other two Suns in double figures were Bradley Beal and Eric Gordon, both finishing with 13. The Suns shooting splits were 49, 46, and 90 (18-20 on free throws) while making 17 threes. They pounded the glass, outrebounding the Kings 46 to 31.
However they got there, the good vibes were flowing in the end as the Suns won their third in a row, climbing to 22-18 on the season. Now listen to these guys, who bring the best vibes of all, and help Devin Booker make the All Star Game!
