The Sacramento Kings could not carry the momentum off their recent success into another home victory against the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix led early and never gave up the lead while cruising to a 98-84 victory. The loss moves Sacramento to 10-17 on the season after previously winning four of their last five games before this.
In Sacramento's recent victories, they've seen strong play from their two best players, DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. Cousins continued his stellar play with 26 points and nine rebounds on eight of 18 shooting. Cousins has become a force on a nightly basis and is playing great basketball right now. Veteran Grant Hill at 39 years old was able to slow down Evans and make him a non-factor in the game. Tyreke finished with just four points on one out of nine shooting in the game. He also had six rebounds, five assists, and four turnovers in the game. When Tyreke Evans plays this poorly, Sacramento will struggle to win basketball games. Evans leads the offense and needs to play much better if the team hopes to win games.
Phoenix is not a good team and his is a game that Sacramento should have been able to win. Two of their scorers, Cousins and Marcus Thornton, accounted for 47 out of the 84 points though, and didn't get much help. No other player scored more than eight points and the team shot 35% from the field. Shooting trouble has plagued Sacramento all season and often led to losses for the team.
I'm disappointed that the team couldn't beat a bad team at home after such a great victory in their last game. Defeating Oklahoma City on one night and losing to the Phoenix Suns in the next game is the inconsistency fans are used to and have come to expect though. This inconsistent play isn't going away and is something the team will have to grow with. The players are learning and improving, but losses like this will come with that.
Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.
Other Kings articles by this contributor:
DeMarcus Cousins is Emerging as a Dominant Big Man: Fan's Take
Sacramento Kings Win Biggest Game of Year Over Oklahoma City Thunder: Fan's Reaction
Sacramento Kings Continue Win Streak, Defeat Hornets: Fan's Reaction
Jimmer Fredette is Not Playing and Having a Difficult Rookie Season: Fan's Take
