‘I got fouled’: Did officials cost the Kings another game in controversial loss to Suns?

An officiating error might have cost the Kings an opportunity to win a critical game for the third time in seven days as they fight for position and their survival in the Western Conference playoff race.

Kings point guard De’Aaron felt he was fouled by Bradley Beal as he attempted to pull up for a potential game-winning jumper in the final seconds of Friday’s 108-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

“You can go watch it,” Fox said. “He very clearly got me, but when it’s me they always say they didn’t see it or marginal contact.”

Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Jusuf Nurkic made a go-ahead free throw after Sabonis was called for a loose ball foul, giving the Suns a huge win before a sellout crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The loss could prove very costly for the Kings, who are now tied with the Golden State Warriors for ninth in the West with one game remaining. Fox had a chance to win the game with time running out, but he lost the ball before he could rise up to shoot over Beal with Devin Booker and Grayson Allen converging to help contest the shot. Fox said Beal hit him on the arm.

“I got fouled,” Fox said. “It wasn’t even close to the ball.”

Brown had not seen a replay, but he also believed Fox was fouled.

“From my seat, I’m baffled,” Brown said. “I’m not sure why we can’t get a call from an NBA official down the stretch. For them to call a boxout foul on Sabonis — a boxout foul when the game is as physical as it is — and give them two free-throw attempts to take the lead with seconds left in the game. And I hope I’m wrong, but from my seat, it looked like Fox got hit across the arm. I actually pray that I’m wrong because then I’ll sleep better at night.”

On Saturday, the NBA said officials made a correct non-call on the play.

According to the Last 2 Minute Report: “Beal’s (PHX) left wrist makes clean contact with the ball and dislodges it away from Fox (SAC) prior to incidental contact occurring during Fox’s upward shooting motion.”

The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report previously showed officials missed crucial calls when Sacramento suffered a 101-100 loss to the Boston Celtics on April 5 and a 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Colby Jones should have gone to the free-throw line with a chance to win the game against the Celtics after being hit in the face on a putback attempt with 1.9 seconds remaining. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have been called for traveling before he hit a shot that put the Thunder up by three with 1:16 to go.

“In Oklahoma City, Shai traveled,” Brown said. “In Boston, Colby got smacked across the face. In real time, when you’re trying to plead your case, guys look at you and they say there was no contact or there was no this or no that. It’s tough when you can’t get a call and the officials feel like they’re right, and then the 2 Minute Report comes out and Shai traveled and Colby got smacked in the face. And they go home and sleep at night and we’re up all night fretting over the game because we’re fighting for our playoff lives.”

Booker had 21 points and six assists for the Suns (48-33), who still have a shot at the No. 6 seed and will finish no lower than seventh in the wild West. Beal had 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Domantas Sabonis had 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Kings (45-36), who have lost five of their last six games to fall into the play-in tournament.

Fox had 23 points on 9-of-23 shooting with five rebounds, six assists and four steals. Fox passed DeMarcus Cousins for the sixth-most points in franchise history and the second-most points in the Sacramento era with a first-quarter basket. He later passed Sam Lacey for the fifth-most points in franchise history.

Keegan Murray had 23 points and seven rebounds. Keon Ellis added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting as the Kings nearly knocked off a full-strength Suns team despite the absences of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter.

“Our guys fricking fought,” Brown said. “They gave us a chance. I couldn’t be prouder of the way we fought.”

Going into the game, the Kings were tied with the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers for eighth in the Western Conference, two games behind the No. 7 Suns. The Lakers escaped with a 123-120 victory over the injury ravaged Memphis Grizzlies while the Warriors suffered a 114-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Suns remained one game behind the Suns for the No. 6 seed and an automatic playoff berth. They can secure the No. 6 seed with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday if the Lakers beat the Pelicans.

If the Suns had lost to the Kings and the Timberwolves, the Kings would have clinched the No. 7 spot with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Now, the highest the Kings can finish is No. 8. For that to happen, they will have to beat the Blazers and the Lakers will have to lose to the Pelicans on Sunday. Otherwise, the Kings will finish ninth or 10^th in the West.

The teams that finish seventh and eighth will have two chances to win one game to secure either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The teams that finish ninth and 10^th will have to win two games in a row while facing a single-elimination scenario.

The Kings would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Lakers by virtue of their 4-0 record in the season series. The Kings split the season series with the Warriors 2-2, but they would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with a better division record.

Brown thinks the Kings are learning from these experiences, but they are learning the hard way.

“I think it’s always good to be able to go through stretches of the season where games are so important and everyone talks about there being playoff moments or games that have playoff feelings,” Fox said. “So, it’s always great to have experience. Obviously, want to come out on top when we have those type of games, but still a learning experience regardless.”

The Kings and Suns combined to go 0 of 6 from the field in the opening minutes with Sacramento forcing three Phoenix turnovers in the first 90 seconds. The Kings trailed by five after going 2 of 10 from the field to start the game, but eventually they started knocking down shots to take a 27-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Kings were clinging to a one-point lead with five minutes remaining in the half when Fox scored to spark a 9-0 run for Sacramento. The Kings went up 45-35 on a basket by Murray and carried a 54-45 lead into the halftime break.

Sacramento committed only four turnovers in the first half while forcing 13, leading to an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers. The Kings also outscored the Suns 26-16 on points in the paint.

The Kings staged an 8-0 run to take a 70-54 lead on a layup by Ellis early in the second half. The Suns came back to cut the deficit to six on a basket by Booker with 1:57 to play in the third quarter. The Kings led 85-78 going into the fourth.

Phoenix mounted an 8-0 run early in the fourth to tie the game on a 3-pointer by Beal with 9:21 remaining.

Sacramento reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer by Murray. Fox’s fourth steal of the game led to another 3-pointer by Murray that put the Kings up 103-96 with 4:48 to play.

The Suns got within two when a turnover by Sabonis led to a layup by Beal with 1:02 to go. Durant tied the game with two free throws with 51.1 seconds remaining.

Sabonis was called for a loose ball foul that sent Nurkic to the free-throw line with 8.7 seconds to go. Nurkic missed the first free throw and made the second, putting Phoenix up 108-107.

Coming out of a timeout, the Kings inbounded the ball to Fox, who drove to his left against Beal with Booker and Allen coming to help. Beal reached in. Fox lost possession and Royce O’Neale came up with the loose ball as time expired.

Fox and Brown felt a foul should have been called.

“I hope I’m wrong,” Brown said. “Because to get another 2 Minute Report that shows they made another crucial mistake in a game of this magnitude when we’re fighting for our playoff lives, it’s just not fair.”

Chris Webber returns

Kings great Chris Webber sat courtside with Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, his daughter Anjali Ranadivé and former teammate Vlad Divac. Webber received a standing ovation when he was introduced during a first-quarter timeout.

Webber is back in Sacramento to promote his new book, “By God’s Grace.” The book explores the basketball journey and life lessons of a legendary player who led Sacramento to the brink of an NBA championship during the golden era of Kings basketball.

Webber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats play the El Paso Chihuahuas on Saturday at Sutter Health Park. Before the game, Webber will hold a meet-and-greet session from 5:15 to 6 p.m. at Sactown Smokehouse. The session will be open to anyone who purchases a copy of Webber’s book, which will be available on site.

Webber will also attend Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Fans can purchase his book at Label K, the Kings’ team store inside the arena, and then take part in a meet-and-greet with Webber in Section 111 before the game.

Isaiah Thomas returns

Former Kings guard Isaiah Thomas made a return to Sacramento as a member of the Suns.

The Suns signed Thomas, 35, to two 10-day contracts before signing him for the rest of the season on Tuesday. He had only appeared in five games prior to Friday’s contest. He had his best game in a 128-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 29, scoring five points in eight minutes.

Thomas did not play against the Kings.

Thomas had been out of the NBA since 2021-22, when he played 17 games for the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns signed him after he averaged 32.5 points in four games for the G League Salt Lake City Stars.

Thomas was a two-time All-Star with the Boston Celtics in 2016-17. He spent the first three years of his career with the Kings from 2011-14.

Up next

The Kings will conclude the regular season when they play host to the Blazers at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Golden 1 Center.

The Blazers (21-59) had lost three in a row going into Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets. Anfernee Simons (knee), Jerami Grant (hamstring) Malcolm Brogdon (elbow), Shaedon Sharpe (abdomen), Matisse Thybulle (ankle) and Robert Williams III (knee) were all out for Portland.

The Blazers will be led by Deandre Ayton and Scoot Henderson. Ayton is averaging 16.9 points and 11.2 rebounds. Henderson averages 13.7 points and 5.4 assists.