Sacramento played catch-up for most of Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns. Kings’ leads were brief and meager. In fact, their largest lead was only 6 points, but fortunately it came when just 13 seconds remained in the contest.

Having come back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit, the Kings eked out a 2-point lead with less than a minute to go. It was precarious. Tight games come down to converting foul shots and, in an anomaly, the Kings’ field goal percentage at that point (53%) was actually higher than their free throw percentage at that point (51%).

Nevertheless, when free throws were needed, free throws were made. Tyreke Evans sank two, Marcus Thornton sank two, and the game was secured.

Fans had every reason to start the game in a sour mood. Earlier in the day, the Anaheim City Council had approved a financial plan enabling the Kings to relocate. A largely empty Power Balance Pavilion greeted the opening tip-off. Tickets sported a photo ostensibly of a fan rooting for Omri Casspi but, in an ironic and seemingly mocking pun, also flaunting the Kings’ projected departure for Orange County.

Is "O.C." still "Omri Casspi," or is it now "Orange County"? (Image by: Fred Hayward)

The Kings, on the other hand, were riding as high as the Suns were low. Coming off their best 5-game road trip in 5 years (winning 4 games), the Kings were enjoying their longest winning streak of this season (3 games).

In contrast, Phoenix had just watched their playoff hopes collapse, after dropping 3 of their last 4 games, 7 of their last 10. Following their previous game (a loss to Dallas), Suns’ Coach Alvin Gentry mourned, “we're not mathematically eliminated, but it would take a miracle for us to make the playoffs.” Suns’ center Marcin Gortat was more blunt: “After this game, I don't think we're going to be talking about playoffs this year anymore.”

Furthermore, former stars Vince Carter and Robin Lopez were playing so poorly that both had lost their starting spots (to Jared Dudley and Marcin Gortat, respectively). Steve Nash, too, was in a slump, hitting only 4 of 20 in his previous two games.

Though trailing most of the game, the Kings were never out of reach. That closeness defied statistics. In the first quarter, for example, the Suns were hot, shooting over 71%. (Actually, all Suns not named “Steve Nash” were shooting 88%, but Nash missed 5 of 6 attempts.)

The Kings’ bench was a big factor in Tuesday’s win.

Donte Greene kept the Kings close in the opening quarter by scoring at a Wilt Chamberlain pace of slightly more than 2 points per minute! He was to end up with 18 points

Omri Casspi, after sitting on the bench for the past three games, joined the fray in the second half. Prior to tip-off, Omri said, “I don’t know [if I’ll get into the game], but I’ll be ready. You always have to be ready!” And, he was. Coach Paul Westphal commented later how happy he was for Omri, whose energy was contagious, scoring 7 points (including a couple of vicious dunks) while dishing out 4 assists in only 12 minutes.

Tyreke Evans, recovering from foot problems and still officially a bench player, was limited to 25 minutes of playing time, per doctor’s orders. In that short stint, he fell only 2 assists shy of a triple-double.

GAME NOTES

• Unless Sacramento beats Denver twice this week, the season series against Phoenix will be the only one that the Kings won.  They beat the Suns three times out of four.

• Carl Landry was a major factor in the two previous wins against Phoenix, racking up 20 points and 10 rebounds when they played in February.  The trade of Landry for Marcus Thornton has seemed like a good one for the Kings, but would Thornton fill Landry's shoes against the Suns?  Most emphatically, yes!  He scored 24 points and matched a career-high 11 rebounds.

• Prior to Tuesday night’s game, the Phoenix Suns had scored less than 20 points in 11 fourth quarters. In the final stanza against the Kings, they were outscored 31 to 20. That was to be the ballgame.

• Fans kept pouring into the arena and support grew as the game progressed. Final announced attendance was 13,774 and Coach Westphal later remarked, “It was really special how ‘behind us’ those fans were. I think there was no way we were going to lose that game because of the way they were.”

• I struck up several conversations with fans wearing Phoenix jerseys. Yet, not one of them had moved here from Phoenix. Rather, each one turned out to be Canadian. The fact is, there aren’t too many options for patriotic Canadian fans seeking NBA idols. Ironically, the Kings have one. Haitian-born Samuel Dalembert became a Canadian citizen after moving to Montreal as a teenager.