Field Level Media
Dec 23, 2023
Domantas Sabonis recorded 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings trounce the visiting Phoenix Suns 120-105 on Friday night.
De'Aaron Fox had 23 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals to help Sacramento win for the ninth time in 13 games. Keegan Murray scored 21 points, Harrison Barnes added 19 and Kevin Huerter scored 13 as the Kings led by as many as 29 points while defeating the Suns for the fourth consecutive time.
Kevin Durant had 28 points and seven rebounds and Devin Booker added 24 points and seven assists for disappointing Phoenix, which lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Udoka Azubuike had 11 points and 11 rebounds, Grayson Allen also scored 11 points and Chimezie Metu added 10 points.
The Suns were without big man Jusuf Nurkic (personal reasons).
The Kings connected on 53 percent of their shots and hit 12 of 38 from 3-point range. Barnes knocked down four 3-pointers and Murray made three for Sacramento.
The triple-double was the fourth of the season for Sabonis and 36th of his career.
Phoenix made 5 of 25 3-pointers while finishing at 44.3 percent overall. Durant committed seven turnovers.
Sacramento led by 11 points at the break and opened the third quarter by making its first 11 shots.
Murray's 3-pointer capped a 9-0 opening salvo as the Kings pushed their lead to 74-54.
Barnes buried two treys in 81 seconds to help increase the advantage to 88-62 with 7:47 left in the quarter.
Murray knocked down another 3-pointer to make it 93-64 with 6:47 to go. Then 33 seconds later, Fox missed a floater for Sacramento's first errant shot of the quarter.
Phoenix used a 16-5 burst to pull within 98-80 on a tip by Metu with 1:55 remaining. But Barnes' three-point play with less than a second left gave the Kings a 103-84 lead entering the final stanza.
The Suns were within 15 after Booker's basket with 10:24 to play before Sacramento scored nine of the next 11 points. Murray ended it with a jumper to make it 112-90 with 7:14 remaining and the Kings cruised the rest of the way to improve to 4-1 on their six-game homestand.
Fox scored 19 points in the first half as the Kings possessed a 65-54 halftime advantage.
Fox had 12 points in the opening quarter as Sacramento led 35-30. The Kings led by as many as 12 in the second quarter.
--Field Level Media