NBA Power Rankings Week 8: The Phoenix Suns are rising
By Corey Rausch
Last Week: Beat 113-110 LA Clippers, Lost to Philadelphia 76ers 119-111, Lost to Orlando Magic 123-112
This Week: 2/14 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 2/15 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 2/18 vs. Miami Heat, 2/20 at Chicago Bulls
The Sacramento Kings were riding the high of back to back wins against the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers on consecutive nights. The national audience was starting to take notice of how well the Kings had been playing and they were above .500 this late in the season for the first time in years.
The loss against the Philadelphia 76ers should have been expected. For a young team unaccustomed to winning much, another game against a contender would have been too much to ask. However, turning around and losing to the remnants of the Orlando Magic (even without De’Aaron Fox) after two days off is confusing, to say the least.
Rather than getting discouraged, the team should continue to celebrate the step forward they have taken. De’Aaron Fox continues to play like a bona fide star, averaging 35.0 points, 8.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds a night in his two games this week. Backcourt mates Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton continue to thrive.
The biggest deterrent this week was Harrison Barnes’ regression. Barnes was quietly having a very productive season for the Kings but this week saw a noticeable dip, averaging only 8.3 points per game. The Kings will need more than that from him if they are to get back to winning.