The way to beat the shorthanded Suns has been painfully revealed

The Phoenix Suns suffered only their third loss of the season at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, although it was the second time that the Kings have inflicted defeat on these Suns. The other loss coming at the hands of - you guessed it - those Los Angeles Lakers.

To drop two games to a Kings group that isn't even likely to make it out of the opening round of the playoffs - if they even get there at all - is not a good sign for this team. Then again, playing without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, it was always going to be an uphill battle.

Which is how the Kings revealed how to beat this version of the Suns.

It sounds obvious really, but from the get go in Sacramento the home team blitzed Booker ever time he crossed half court. This was effective in the early goings of the game - the Suns rushing some plays and turning the ball over - although they did settle into a rhythm before halftime.

They also made adjustments and had Booker give up the ball early on some possessions - or just allow point guard Tyus Jones to get them going - before relocating and getting the ball back later in the same play. Yet even when the Suns did that, the Kings would immediately send two guys his way. It worked.

Booker finished with 18 points, but it was Josh Okogie - who we did predict would get more minutes in the absence of Durant - who stepped up to the tune of a team-high 25 points, plus some stellar defensive moments. This was the game from Okogie that the Suns desperately needed, yet it still wasn't nearly enough as they fell 127-104.

The Kings then believed that they could live with making the rest of the Suns try and beat them, and the gamble paid off as they were unable to do so. Jusuf Nurkic and Royce O'Neale combined for 44 minutes played and eight points between them, although rookie Ryan Dunn nearly changed the complexion of this one.

He made a pair of 3-pointers in the first half as a result of Booker commanding so much attention, while on the other end he made a positive impact. Yet despite this he finished with a team worst -29 in 28 minutes of action, ultimately going 2-of-7 from deep. Monte Morris also had his moments in trying to help, and he surely deserves more run given how he has played recently.

But this was a worrying look into what the next couple of weeks will be like without Durant. If you can throw quick guards (De'Aaron Fox), similarly sized players (Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter) and a nimble big man who is even average defensively (Domantas Sabonis), it is not going to give Booker time to get into a rhythm of his own. Blitzing him with the ball in hand looks to be super effective.

Opponents can then let his teammates - who for all their talent just aren't consistent enough offensively - try and beat them, and live with the results. Obviously even having Beal out there changes things, as he can't be left alone and will punish you. On certain nights Dunn and even Okogie are capable of doing that too.

But the Kings have proven that without Durant leading the way, this Suns team is not as good as their early season record would seem to suggest. Most worrying of all? The Kings aren't even elite defensively, ranking 12th (111.1) on the season so far. This Suns' roster is deeper than last year, but it will still only ever go as far as their stars take them.

The final piece of this puzzle is Booker, who at times has still looked like he is in passive, Team USA mode. Right now his team needs him to be aggressive and seize control of the offensive side of the ball. Jones and even Nurkic can tee him up from time-to-time, but we need to see him take the ball and tell everybody else to get out of the way ASAP.