Here are five things to know before watching the Suns and Kings battle out the final game of Wednesday’s busy slate.
1. How will Phoenix play without Kevin Durant? The Suns have been one of the best teams in the NBA behind their 9-2 record, but it remains to be seen how they play without Durant. Durant is out for the next two weeks with a calf strain, and Phoenix lost its first game without him on Sunday.
2. Rematch from Sunday: These teams just played on Sunday, with Sacramento prevailing 127-118. It took an overtime session to determine a winner. The Kings outscored the Suns in OT 16-7. There were 10 ties and 19 lead changes in total, with neither team leading by more than 11 points.
3. Can Sacramento keep streaking? The Kings started slowly when they lost their first two games, but they have won six of nine games since then.
4. Tight games: Not only was that game close last week, but these clubs always seem to play close matchups. Before that overtime thriller, the last three meetings were decided by five points or fewer, with Phoenix winning all of those.
5. Domantas Sabonis double-double streak: Sabonis set a post-merger NBA record when he recorded 61 straight double-doubles last season, and he’s off to another streak. He has 10 straight double-doubles since the opener, averaging 20.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in that span.