The Suns had a rough month of March, but with four games left looked to close out the season strong. The team started it off as they went head-to-head against the Kings on Tuesday night.
Once again without their two-leading scorers in Devin Booker and T.J. Warren, the Suns looked to rookie Josh Jackson to carry the load on offense.
“It’s a little different being in this type of role,” Jackson said. “The thing I try to do is just pick and choose my shots. I know that for us to be successful, I’ve got to score a little bit here and there.”
The 21-year-old didn’t seem to hesitate scoring 18 points in the first half as the Suns took a 46-40 lead into the break. By the end of the third he already had 24 points and the Suns looked to close out their first win in over a month.
Josh Jackson Scores 28 Points vs Kings
But the Kings weren’t going to allow the Suns to walk away with this one easily. A three-pointer from Buddy Heild brought Sacramento to within just three points with less than thirty seconds to go.
Danuel House Jr. and Alex Len would combine to make three free throws, but once again the Kings responded with a De’Aaron Fox three with 13 seconds left.
The Suns continued their defensive focus that they carried them through the game as they eventually closed it out with a 97-94 victory.
“It was great,” Jackson said. “It was something we talked about in the locker room before going out. It was a win that we really, really wanted today.”
This was the Suns third win against the Kings this season and their fourth season series win over an opponent (Chicago, Memphis, Dallas).
Jackson led the way for the Suns scoring his third highest total of the season with 28 points. He was perfect from the three-point arc knocking down two-for-two while adding six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Jackson has now scored 15-plus points in 11 straight games as he joined Donovan Mitchell for the longest streak by a rookie in the NBA this season. He is currently averaging 21.8 points throughout that stretch.
“He’s recognizing when he comes off screens, now guys are hitting him a little bit and he’s going to have to move the ball,” Head Coach Jay Triano said. “I thought he was pretty solid pretty much the whole game.”
GAME RECAP: Suns 97, Kings 94
Marquese Chriss (career-high 13 rebounds) and Alex Len (17 points and 15 rebounds) were a force in the paint all night as the team outrebounded the Kings 52-40.
After notching a career-high 16 points in the Suns last game, House came off the bench and filled up the stat sheet. He finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
“It feels really good,” House said. “It finally came together for us. It wasn’t all the way perfect, but we’ll take it.”
The Suns will remain at home as the New Orleans Pelicans come to town on Friday. Catch the action on Fox Sports Arizona.