The Phoenix Suns are a team in the same division as Sacramento. It's a rebuilding team like Sacramento. Devin Booker is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of this league. On March 24, 2017, he achieved a historic performance against the Boston Celtics by becoming the youngest player to score 70 points. He became the 6th player to score more than 70 points in a game with Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, and David Robinson.
With him, the center of the Bahamas, DeAndre Ayton. The first pick in the previous draft, ahead of Melvin Bagley of the Kings. This confrontation is expected to see the progress of these two players.
The match takes place in Phoenix at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Hector is excited. These are his first minutes in an official match. But he is not a starter, Hector is disappointed, but he was already expecting it. The starters for the Kings are PG Fox, SG Hield, SF Barnes PF Bahley C Deadmon.
The Suns have PG Rubio, SG Booker, SF Oubre, and PF Saric C Ayton.
The first team that scored was the Kings. Ayton started his game well; he made three dunks in a row, including a putback dunk that earned him an offensive rebound. Ayton wins the possession. Barnes put in a midrange jumper. Rubio also responds to him with a nice layup. Fortunately, Hield also started his match well with 5 points. After a 3PT of Saric with Rubio's assist, the score is 7-13 for Phoenix.
Hield is an excellent shooter at 3PT, one of the best, but there is a gap between the two crazy and the one in Portland. But he is a fantastic player and will be present almost everywhere. With an assist for Barnes, a 3PT shot, including one with a foul by Saric and a layup, he will score 6 points in a row. The Kings lead 15-13.
Bagley and Deadmon have destroyed themselves by the interior of the Suns; it is too much for Wharton, who decides to bring them out. At 5:25 of the first quarter, Hector made his NBA debut. He returned at the same time as Bogdanovic.
At 4:56, Aaron Fox asks Hector for a screen and makes a driving layup.
Aaron Fox is also considered one of the best youngsters in the league. He was selected fifth in the 2017 NBA Draft. NBA scouts identified Fox as the fastest player with the ball in his hands and the top 3 without the ball.
Hector finds Barnes cutting inside and makes a layup. Baynes and Ayton, the Suns' big men, are the most complicated type of center to defend for Hector, they are two powerful centers, and Ayton has the added liveliness. He tried the steal when Baynes had his back to the basket, but he made the pass to Kaminsky, who scored without pressure and made dunks afterward. Hector shook his head, gained muscle but not enough, and will not have a visible result for a while, but his body is still growing. He is not worried.
Booker made 3PT. He scored his first points of the season. Hector scored his first NBA points following two free throws after an offensive rebound and a foul by Baynes. The minutes went on, and the quarter ended with a score of 29-25 for the Kings.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Hector is at 2pts 2rbs, i.e., as time passes, we are tied 33-33. He has just put an enormous block on Ayton, who has made him miserable from the beginning and leaves the field satisfied.
His first half ended with 2pts, 2rbs, and one block. But we didn't ask him more. He struggles on defense, but he's valuable in pick-and-roll defense and defensive helpers, and that's enough for Wharton.
Hield has already put 20pts, Fox 7pts 3ast, and Bagley 4pts. For the Suns, Ayton scored 10pts 6rbs and 1blk and Booker 5pts 5ast, but the Kings are ahead and lead 59-54.