NBA Game Notes (March 11, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 11, 2023.

Kings End Long Drought

Tied at 115 points with a little more than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Sacramento Kings scored 13 of the game’s final 17 points to pick up a huge 128-119 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Kings — who stand in second place in the Western Conference standings — have won eight of their nine games since the All-Star break.

Sacramento improved to 40-26 with the victory, reaching 40 wins for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Their streak of 16 consecutive seasons with less than 40 wins is tied for the longest such streak in NBA history, matched only by the Kings themselves from 1983-84 through 1998-99.

The Kings have scored at least 120 points in each of their last nine games, breaking a tie for the longest such streak in franchise history. The last team to record nine straight 120-point games in a single season was the Denver Nuggets from March 27–April 15, 1984.

Sacramento is averaging 130.6 PPG over its last 12 games, the highest scoring average over a 12-game stretch in franchise history. The last team to average at least 130 PPG over a span of 12 games is the Denver Nuggets in November 1990.

The Kings’ Harrison Barnes led a balanced attack with 19 points, shooting 6-10 from the field and making all six of his free throws. Barnes was one of seven Kings to score at least a dozen points.

Four Kings came off the bench to make multiple 3-pointers: Malik Monk (4), Trey Lyles (3), Davion Mitchell (2), and Kessler Edwards (2). That matches the most such players in a game in franchise history (April 10, 2019).

The Suns’ Chris Paul tallied 16 points, 16 assists, and six rebounds in the loss. At 37 years and 309 days old, Paul became the oldest player in NBA history to record at least 15 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds in a game, surpassing John Stockton by five days.

Backcourt mate Devin Booker scored a game-high 28 points on 11-19 shooting from the field, adding eight assists and four steals. Booker is averaging 32.7 PPG and 7.3 APG over his last seven games, shooting 55.3% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range. He’s scored at least 24 points in each of those games, including four 35-point games.