NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamians Deandre Ayton and Chavano “Buddy” Hield will go up against each other for the first time in the National Basketball Association (NBA) today when the Phoenix Suns take on the Sacramento Kings at home at 9 p.m.
Both teams are outside of the top 10 in the NBA Western Conference standings, however, Hield and the Kings have fared better than Ayton and the Suns so far this season. The Kings come in at 11-11 overall, while the Suns are last in the conference at 4-19.
Hield is leading the way for the Kings, averaging 18.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, followed by De’Aaron Fox who puts up just over 17 per game. The Kings come in shooting 38.5 per cent from behind the three-point line and 69.6 from the free throw line. Despite playing a competitive brand of basketball, the Sacramento has lost four of its last five games.
The Suns come in looking for a win after losing of the last nine games. Ayton is the team’s third-leading scorer at 16.2 points per game. The 7-foot centre will have to be on top of his game for the Suns to have a chance seeing that the team will be without its leading scorer, Devin Booker. The 6’5” guard went down over the weekend with a hamstring injury and there is currently no timetable in place for his return.
