Preview: Suns vs. Kings, 8 p.m., FOX Sports Arizona
Streaming live on FOX Sports GO
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Phoenix Suns have no misunderstanding about what has to change if they are to end their season-long five-game losing streak on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings.
It's all about the defense.
"We are scoring at will," guard Devin Booker said after the Suns most-recent loss -- 124-114 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. "But we couldn't get enough stops."
That's been the story of the season for the Suns (15-34), whose current losing streak is their longest since a seven-game skid last March.
Phoenix averages 106.5 points per contest, 11th in the NBA and has topped 100 in 13 of their past 14 contests. But only the Brooklyn Nets give up more points than Suns, who are allowing 112.3 this season. They've allowed 120 in three of their past four losses and have surrendered at least 100 in 12 straight contests.
The Suns should present a problem with their backcourt tandem because Sacramento struggles to guard the perimeter. Phoenix guard Eric Bledsoe had 41 points in Thursday's loss -- his third effort of 40-plus in his last six games. Booker, meanwhile, has scored 20 or more in 14 straight.
Rookie forward Marquese Chriss has also stepped up his game of late. He had a season-high 20 points in a loss to Memphis on Monday and was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January,
http://twitter.com/Suns/status/827556521915527169
Sacramento (19-30) returns home after going 3-5 on a season-long eight-game road trip. The Kings play 11 of their next 13 at Golden 1 Center, where they are 8-13 for the season and have lost six of their last seven.
The Kings turned over the ball only 11 times in a 105-83 loss at Houston on Tuesday but averaged 14 turnovers during the trip and twice had at least 20. They average 13.8 per game -- which ranks 20th in the league.
"A lot of them can be eliminated," Kings forward Anthony Tolliver told reporters after they committed 23 in a loss at Philadelphia on Monday. "Some of them are gonna happen here or there, because you're being aggressive, attacking the basket. What we have to eliminate are the one that are just miscommunication or where you just kind of flick it out of bounds."
The constant flux of changing rotations hasn't helped the Kings, and now their depth will be challenged even more. Guard Garrett Temple will miss three weeks after partially tearing his left hamstring against Houston.
The Kings already were without forward Rudy Gay, lost for the season to a right Achilles' tendon injury Jan. 18.
