After Another Loss for Struggling Phoenix Suns, Key Veteran Desires Bigger Role

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings issued the Phoenix Suns their latest defeat on Friday night at Golden 1 Center, their eighth loss in their last 11 games. The Kings opened up as large as a 29-point lead in the 120-105 win that dropped the Suns to 14-14 on the season.

Frustration is mounting.

The Suns have been derailed by players going in and out of the lineup all season. Starting center Jusuf Nurkić missed the game to tend to a family matter, while star guard Bradley Beal has played in only six games up to this point.

A combination of limited availability and figuring out how to utilize the talents available has contributed to the Suns' abysmal start.

"I think we still have to find ways to figure it out," Suns guard Devin Booker told B/R. "I think that's how you tell if you're a good team or not. It's when guys are out and guys are down and you still find a way to get it done or at least be more competitive than we are right now."

Booker (24 points) and Kevin Durant (28) combined for 52 points on the night. The next-highest scorers were Grayson Allen and Udoka Azubuike, who supplied 11 apiece.

Eric Gordon, the team's third-best player with Beal and Nurkić out, played 25 minutes as a starter but got up only two shots.

"Early on in the season, it was better. And lately, there just hasn't been an emphasis [to get me more looks]," Gordon told B/R. "So, it's definitely different. Lately I haven't been getting hardly any touches really."

Gordon was 1-of-7 in 29 minutes off the bench in the loss at Portland on Tuesday. Suns head coach Frank Vogel recognizes the team needs to utilize the veteran sharpshooter more.

"We're looking at different guys. We need guys to step up," Vogel said. "I got to keep moving the pieces around in terms of how we're using certain guys. Can we get Eric Gordon more involved than I'm doing? I'm not doing a good enough job in making sure he's involved in the offense. He's a guy that can really help us."

Gordon told B/R he plans to talk to Vogel about ways to get him more incorporated into the offense.

"No question. Everybody knows the type of player I am and what I'm about. I came here to win, but what I do is score," Gordon told B/R. "And I think when I score, it really opens up the door for a lot of people because I can score in big games and in big ways. That's just what it is."

Durant and Booker are receiving heavy blitzes on a nightly basis, especially when only one of them is on the court.

"I asked [Kings head coach] Mike Brown about that during the game and he tried to give me a compliment. I was like, 'F--k out of here. Stop all that doubling and tripling,'" Durant said in jest. "But that's just the game plan. I think we're still figuring it out, the spacing around it and when to be aggressive. I can't turn the ball away if we want to have a chance."

Gordon is in his 16th NBA season and says he's pretty much seen it all, but he admits he didn't see this state of affairs on the horizon.

"We have a lot of good players. To be in this kind of situation, it is a little different because you would never go through lapses like this," Gordon told B/R. "So, it's definitely a lot different than what I kind of expected.

"We go from winning seven in a row early on in the season and now we've lost eight out of 11," Gordon continued. "So, it's just tough with the type of team that we have. We just have to figure out the different sacrifices that we need to try to win a game."

The Suns will now look to regroup to get prepared for a tough Christmas Day showdown at home against Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.

It doesn't get any easier, but Booker is trying to keep perspective.

"I've been through worse than this," he told B/R. "Remember those first five years for me? I've seen this before. I trust everybody in here. We have the talent to turn it around. I'm not too discouraged, but there's a pep in our step now. We know we have some work to clean up. It's better to go through this now than the end of the season."

"The night of [a loss] is always frustrating," Booker continued. "But it always feels better when we all get back together and get in the gym and start cleaning things up. Looking at the history of who we have around here. The likes of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and a championship coach in Coach Vogel, I trust everybody in here."