Phoenix Suns secured a 112-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Cup West Group A.,The win sets up a decisive matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the group.The Phoenix Suns maintained their perfect record in NBA Cup West Group A play by defeating the Sacramento Kings 112-100 on November 26 at Golden 1 Center. This victory improved Phoenix’s group stage record to 3-0.
Phoenix, now with an overall season record of 11-7, will face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on November 28 in OKC. The Thunder also hold a 3-0 record in West Group A, having recently defeated Minnesota 113-105. The upcoming game will determine the top seed in West Group A.
Should the Suns defeat the Thunder, they will secure the top position in West Group A and earn the right to host an NBA Cup quarterfinal game in Phoenix. If Phoenix loses to OKC, they can still advance to the playoffs by securing a wild card spot, provided their point differential is higher than that of the winner between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
As of November 28, the Suns have a point differential of +35, the Grizzlies have +14, and the Clippers have -9.
For the Suns, Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie led the scoring with 21 points each. Devin Booker contributed 19 points, Dillon Brooks added 13, and Jamaree Bouyea scored 11 points off the bench. Phoenix established a significant lead, at one point being ahead by as many as 25 points in the first half.
The Kings, who now have a 5-14 record, managed to close the gap to eight points during the third and fourth quarters. However, Phoenix responded with an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 102-86 with 5:53 remaining in the game.
This marks the second victory for the Suns against the Kings this season. In their previous encounter last month, Phoenix came back from a 20-point deficit to win 120-116 in the season opener for both teams.
For the Kings, Keegan Murray and Russell Westbrook were the top scorers with 19 points each.
The Suns played without Grayson Allen (right quad contusion), Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), and Ryan Dunn (right wrist sprain). The Kings were missing Domantas Sabonis (right knee partial meniscus tear) and Dennis Schroder (right hip soreness).
In the first half, the Suns built a commanding 67-45 lead, extending it to as many as 25 points. Collin Gillespie scored 14 of his points in the first half, with 11 coming in the first quarter, during which Phoenix led 41-16. The Suns shot 53.8% from the field and 6-of-14 from three-point range in the first quarter, while the Kings shot 35.3% and made only 1-of-7 from distance.
Devin Booker had a game-high 15 points in the first half, and Dillon Brooks added 13. Phoenix capitalized on Sacramento’s 10 turnovers in the first half, scoring 17 points off them.
Collin Gillespie made his first start of the season due to the ongoing injuries to Jalen Green, Grayson Allen, and Ryan Dunn. This marks the 11th different starting lineup for the Suns (11-7), who started Gillespie, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale, and Mark Williams. The Kings (5-13) started Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Drew Eubanks, who previously played for the Suns in the 2023-24 season.
Gillespie is averaging career highs in points (11.6), minutes (25.5), assists (4.9), and rebounds (4.1). He recently hit a game-winning shot with 6.7 seconds left, lifting Phoenix to a 114-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 21.
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