Kings coach Mike Brown questions officiating after tough loss to Suns in TNT thriller

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown took some time following Tuesday night’s 130-125 loss to the Phoenix Suns to watch replays of calls from officials he disagreed with in real time.

The video confirmed what he believed were bad calls, and led to officiating being a focus during his 11-minute and 30-second postgame press conference.

“I’m just emotional right now from the no-call,” Brown said. “And I saw it live. I watched it again on playback, and a foul is a foul, and you got to call it, just like the foul on Keegan (Murray).”

Brown’s emotional response spoke to the importance of the game.

The Kings fell in Phoenix in pivotal game on a few different fronts. The loss pushed them to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference after entering the night a half game behind the Suns for the No. 6 seed. Additionally, the Kings had a chance to win the season series against Phoenix with a victory, giving them a key tiebreaker should they finish the regular season with the same record.

Adding to it, the Kings thought they played well enough to win given a few of their individual performances. They got 40 points from De’Aaron Fox and a 35-point, 18-rebound, 12-assist triple-double from Domantas Sabonis. Malik Monk added 22 points off the bench, meaning Sacramento’s top three scorers combined for 97 points.

But Sacramento failed to close the game down the stretch, getting outscored 11-7 in the final minute en route to the loss.

There were two decisions by referees in the final minute that Brown referred to specifically.

The first was a no-call on a Sabonis layup with 24.1 seconds remaining. Sabonis pump faked and Suns star Devin Booker leaped to block the shot, coming down on Sabonis with both hands on his back. Sabonis then went up to make the layup, but he didn’t get the and-1 he and Brown thought he deserved.

The Kings were down three before the bucket, and a free throw would have given them a chance to tie the game. Sabonis made it clear he thought he was fouled afterwards.

“Yeah, of course. That’s why I shot faked,” Sabonis said. “Usually when you shot fake and the guy jumps in the air, they call it sometimes with the guy not even touching you. But the refs made the call. It is what it is. We just gotta find a way to win this game.”

Added Brown: “I don’t know, man. You fight so hard and then you just feel like it’s just not fair down the stretch. That no-call — I’m going to be interested to see the 2-minute report, because if they say that’s not a foul on Booker, I’m really lost.”

Another source of Brown’s frustration, which seemed to compound his feelings, came a few moments later. Suns guard Grayson Allen was fouled by Fox to stop the clock with 18.1 seconds left. Phoenix took the ball out of bounds at the left wing, and then Murray was called for a foul before the inbounds play when he grabbed the jersey of Booker, who was running to get open away from the basket.

Murray clearly grabbed Booker’s jersey, but it didn’t prevent Booker from breaking free to receive the pass. The foul led to an extra free throw and another possession for the Suns because it came before the inbounds pass.

Brown was upset at the call because of what he was told by the officials about Sabonis’ play previously.

“The officials tell me that it’s marginal contact because that doesn’t affect the shot, but it’s a foul,” Brown said. “The foul that they called on Keegan, Booker was still going to get open. It was marginal. People hold at the end of games, and they call that foul because they say it’s a foul that they got to make the right call.”

Booker made the free throw to push the lead to 125-123. The Kings had to foul again to stop the clock. Booker made the first free throw but missed the second — and then Sabonis allowed Josh Okogie to tip the loose ball back to Allen, essentially ending Sacramento’s chances.

Brown brought up Sabonis’ missed box out and two late turnovers from Fox and Monk as late-game mistakes, but he still pushed the conversation back to the officiating.

“It’s 27 fouls on us and 16 fouls on them, including the no-call, it’s tough to swallow,” Brown said. “I know they’re human. They’re great frickin’ guys, too. Good officials. But, man, it’s tough out there to see your guys work as hard as they work and we’re in position to tie the game with 24 seconds left. (Then) that foul doesn’t even happen with Keegan.

“Now, they gotta score and we’re going to have a chance to score possibly, too. But to have the game decided by something else. It’s tough, man. It’s tough.”

The Kings have lost four of five with one game remaining before the All-Star break: A trip to play the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back.

Further, the Kings fell short after much of the talk leading into the game had to do with their last visit to Phoenix when they blew a 22-point lead Jan. 16, getting outscored by 20 points over the final six minutes in one of their worst losses of the season.

Sacramento fell to 30-22 on the season, one game better than their 29-23 record through 52 games last season. This year they’re currently in the No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament. Last year, their record was good enough for the No. 3 seed.

“We have a better record, but you don’t feel like we’re playing better,” Fox said. “Obviously, you’re not catching anybody by surprise and there are games that you’re supposed to win and you don’t win. But those start showing towards the end of the season. Each season is definitely different.”

Meanwhile, the Suns have gone 10-4 since coming back from the 22-point deficit against Sacramento in January. On Tuesday, they got 28 points from Kevin Durant, 25 from Booker and 23 from Eric Gordon, with 20 coming in the first half.

Suns star Bradley Beal, who missed 22 games previously, exited in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

Sabonis notched his 36th consecutive double-double and league-leading 18th triple double.

The double-double streak is tied with Russell Westbrook for the sixth-longest since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77.

“He can do it all,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said of Sabonis before the game. “He can really score the basketball. He can really pass the basketball. He’s a great screaner, and he’s a good rebounder. So all those areas make him very difficult to guard and he’s become a hub for all their other scorers. It’s not just those guys creating off the bounce. Their movement (makes them) one of the most difficult offenses to guard in the NBA with his combined passing ability and finishing ability.”

With the West markedly better this year than 2022-23, when Sacramento broke its historic 16-season playoff drought, the Kings will have to battle to avoid the play-in tournament. Their 5-5 mark over the last 10 games is the worst among the four teams in the Nos. 7 through 10 seeds.

“There’s 30 games left, so I pointed that out to our guys. We have to play better,” Brown said before Tuesday’s game. “But in the same breath, we’re not rushing the season. We’ve gotta go out there with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose, and continue getting better, which we can do. If we do that, in my opinion, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win night in and night out.”

Trey Lyles on Tuesday was a late scratch due to an illness. The Kings had Chris Duarte available after missing the last three games with a right ankle injury. Duarte had only appeared in four of Sacramento’s last 16 contests and didn’t play in Tuesday’s game.

Upcoming schedule

Feb. 14 at Denver Nuggets

Feb. 22 vs. San Antonio Spurs

Feb. 25 at Los Angeles Clippers

Feb. 26 vs. Miami Heat

Feb. 28 at Denver Nuggets