The Sacramento Kings are running out of excuses, and after Wednesday’s 112-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns, forward Keegan Murray made that reality painfully clear.

Sacramento fell to 5-14 on the season after another sluggish start, and Murray didn’t sugarcoat why.

“We just dug ourselves too big of a hole… it was rough,” Murray told reporters postgame. “It wasn’t our brand of basketball at all.”

The Kings were outscored 41-16 in a disastrous opening quarter, turning the ball over seven times and allowing the Suns to dictate pace and control the momentum from the opening tip.

Devin Booker led the charge with 12 points while Collin Gillespie added 11 as Phoenix burst out to a 25-point lead before Sacramento even settled in.

The Kings eventually responded, outplaying the Suns over the next three quarters. But Murray admitted that effort means very little when the damage is already done.

“The next three quarters, we started to figure it out a little,” he said, “but it was just too late.”

Live-ball turnovers, defensive breakdowns, and another flat start, three issues that have plagued Sacramento all season, once again defined the loss. The Kings now rank near the bottom of the NBA in defensive rating and turnover percentage, two categories that continue to sabotage any progress on the offensive end.

Russell Westbrook and Murray led Sacramento with 19 points each, while Malik Monk added 15 off the bench. But even with individual flashes, the Kings lacked rhythm, urgency, and discipline, a theme becoming all too familiar.

Meanwhile, Phoenix never lost control. Booker finished the night in cruise mode, and the Suns’ role players looked sharper, faster, and more connected than a Kings team still trying to rediscover last year’s identity.

For a franchise that entered the season with playoff aspirations, the message from Murray was simple and direct — and one fans may agree with:

Sacramento is beating itself.

And unless that changes, the losing will continue.