Keon Ellis #23 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 22, 2025 at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX — The Sacramento Kings shocked the city of Sacramento on Wednesday night in the Valley of the Sun as they led 71-54 at halftime. However, it was short-lived, as a disastrous third quarter proved costly, and the Kings fell to the Phoenix Suns 120-116.

The Kings showed growing pains early in the game as they committed five turnovers in the first five minutes. Yet, they still managed to take a 29-19 lead in the first quarter of action. The Kings played with high energy, and the Suns weren’t shooting the ball well as Sacramento built a double-digit lead.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to put pressure on the Suns as they extended their lead to 71-54. The Kings outscored the Suns 42-35 in the second quarter as they shot the lights out and got contributions up and down the lineup. Zach LaVine led Sacramento in the first half with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk added 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Kings held the Suns to just 39% shooting in the first half, which was the primary contributor to their early success.

It was the third quarter—similar to years past—that proved costly for the Kings. Sacramento was outscored 36-21 in the period and let its nearly 20-point lead slip away. The Kings’ most glaring disadvantage in the third was the 24-8 discrepancy on points in the paint. By the end of the quarter, their lead had all but vanished, as they were up just 92-90 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth, the Kings battled but ultimately couldn’t overcome their poor rebounding as the Suns hammered the glass. Sacramento was outrebounded 51-37 as they struggled with some lineups to match Phoenix’s size. Dylan Cardwell, Drew Eubanks, and Maxime Raynaud combined for only nine total rebounds in the game. The Suns outscored the Kings 30-24 in the fourth quarter to seize the 120-116 victory at Mortgage Matchup Center. LaVine led the Kings with 30 points, while DeRozan finished with 29 points and nine assists. The Kings shot 50% (47-for-94) from the field but turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 19 Phoenix points.

“We’ve got to find a way to box out, make sure that we’re rebounding the basketball—just the fundamental, simple things that we talk about,” Kings head coach Doug Christie said after the game. “Scoring the basketball, we can obviously do that, but defense is where everything is going to happen.”

Malik Monk shared similar sentiments after the game.

“The second half, we just did what we did last year, started off sloppy in the third quarter and let them back in it and had to fight back,” Monk said. “So yeah, it’s easy fixes though. It’s all on us.”

The offense for the Kings seemed to stagnate in the second half, something that has been common in recent years. Monk attributed that to the Suns having their way with the tempo on the court.

“They just sped us up a little bit more in the second half, and we can’t fall into that,” Monk said. “When they sped us up, I think we started settling a little too much instead of moving the ball like we did in the first half.”

Aside from the issues on the offensive side, Christie made some interesting decisions on who played heavier minutes at the end of the game. Keon Ellis only played three minutes in the fourth quarter, and Dylan Cardwell logged significant minutes while the Kings were struggling to stay in it.

On Ellis, I asked Doug how he felt Keon played and about the situation he found himself in.

“Keon is the ultimate professional, and he is always ready to play,” Doug said after the game. “In these situations, we have a logjam, so it’s going to come down to who’s playing. But with his aggressiveness, his ability to knock down shots, and his defensive ability, he’s going to be on the floor.”

I’m not sure the fan base will be happy with that answer when Russell Westbrook and Dylan Cardwell both had more minutes than Ellis. However, it will have to do for now.

On the Cardwell front, Doug was hoping to get rebounding from the rookie, but in his NBA debut, Cardwell secured just one board.

“One of his things is that he can go get rebounds,” Doug said to me after the game. “He didn’t do it tonight as he normally does, but he was in there fighting, and his physicality and things like that are what we absolutely love.”

Doug Christie has a nearly impossible job. He has to make this roster of rookies, established vets, and future Hall of Famers all work together while undersized and injured. I don’t envy his position, and it behooves the fan base to give him a few weeks to figure it out until Domas comes back. However, the lack of Keon Ellis minutes is a tale as old as the Mike Brown era. I’m not sure what to make of that at this point.

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⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

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Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

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