Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives past Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) 
SOURCE: Rick Scuteri

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (8-27) played a nice opening quarter in their contest against the Phoenix Suns (20-14) only to falter in the second half. They were trailing at the half 62-56, bested by Phoenix in the end 129-102. Keegan Murray had his best game since returning to action finishing the game with 23 points and ten rebounds for a double double.

They stumbled in the second half of play as the Suns continued to extend their lead. As the fourth quarter wore on Phoenix had established as much as a 28 point lead. Devin Booker was red-hot finishing with 33 points. The Kings had 21 turnovers in the game, the Suns only 11.

Game recap: After a couple of quiet games upon his return, Murray got after it in the first quarter of Friday night’s game. As the quarter wore down Murray had already hit 11 points and had two rebounds. Despite the nice start for Murray Sacramento trailed after the first 12 minutes of play 32-29. Russell Westbrook and bench player Keon Ellis both came away empty in the opening quarter.

The Kings Nique Clifford hit a three to start the second quarter to tie up the game at 32. Minutes later the tie persisted now at 35 when Sacramento’s Doug McDermott made a 23-foot three point jumper. It was a nice start for the Kings.

Ellis would follow that shot with a three of this own giving the Kings a 38-35 lead. The Kings had already committed ten turnovers and needed to put the stops on that trend. They were only shooting around 55 % from the line so room for improvement on those two fronts.

As the game went into halftime, the Suns had taken a 62-56 lead. Murray finished the first half with 16 points and five rebounds. Poor ball protection had plagued the Kings throughout the first half with 13 turnovers. Booker finished the quarter with 27 points and Sacramento would be looking to try and contain him in the second half.

The Suns got going in earnest leading after three quarters 97-83. Murray added to his total shooting for 23 points and eight rebounds. Booker was on fire with 33 points through three quarters. The Suns hung onto a healthy 15-point lead throughout the quarter and the Kings had their hands full going into the fourth quarter.

After hanging in the game through the first half, the Kings ran out of steam trailing by as much as 28 points through the fourth quarter. The final was 129-102 in favor of Phoenix and the Kings had lost their sixth straight road game.

Murray had the team high for the Kings with 23 points and 10 rebounds for a double double. Westbrook finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points in the game. It was a quiet night for Maxime Raynaud finishing with six points and five rebounds.

Booker tore up the court finishing with 33 points and he had a lot of help from teammates Dillon Brooks with 18 points and both Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams each had 15 points. Williams also turned in nine rebounds just shy of a double double.

Game notes: Not much has gone right for the Kings since their win over the Dallas Mavericks last Saturday 113-107. Since that win the team has fallen to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday night to the Boston Celtics and they extended the loss streak to four with a loss to the Suns on Friday night.

Friday night they faced another tough match-up losing to the Suns. The Kings continue to struggle on the court defensively, much of their problems stemming from injury to Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis but have welcomed Keegan Murray back on court after a calf strain.

Murray was back on the court for the Clipper match-up but did little in his return only hitting 11 points and 2 rebounds. The loss to the Clippers was a wipe-out losing 131-90 followed by the loss to the Celtics 120-106.

The Kings played a close game through three quarters with Boston but fell apart in the fourth quarter outscored 32-18. There seems to be no end to the stretch that Sacramento is going through right now. The team is playing on a five game road skid and Friday night faced the seventh place in the Western Conference Suns, they took a sixth road loss.

They have beaten some elite teams in the second half of the season but right now they are fighting off falling into the basement, a half-game lead on the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings more so then probably any other team need to make some moves with some very accomplished players on the line like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk.

Unfortunately all of these guys have sizeable contracts which discourages any teams that might have interest. It’s a really tough situation with no clear-cut answers.

Sunday evening the Kings will match-up with the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡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.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.