The Sports Xchange
Dec 30, 2017
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Devin Booker scored 12 of his 26 points in the final five minutes, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 111-101 victory against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Friday night.
TJ Warren also scored 26 points for the Suns and had 10 rebounds for a double-double. Marquese Chriss had 14 points for the Suns (14-23), who have gone 5-2 over their past seven games.
Zach Randolph had 14 points, leading seven Kings who hit double-figures. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13, while Garrett Temple, Skal Labissiere, George Hill and Buddy Hield each had 12.
Randolph, who had two points in the first half, scored 12 in the third quarter as the Kings sliced a 55-46 halftime deficit to 88-83 entering the fourth.
Frank Mason drilled a 3-point shot, giving the Kings a 94-93 lead with 8:47 left to play.
Warren put the Suns ahead 101-99 with a three-point play with 3:29 left, and Booker hit a pair of free throws to make it 103-99 with 2:51 to play. Booker's driving layup and jump shot from the right corner increased the Suns' lead to 107-99 with 58 seconds left. He added a 3-point shot to make it 110-99.
Kings forward Vince Carter, who had 24 points in a victory against Cleveland on Thursday, did not appear in the game.
The Suns built a 55-46 halftime lead when Warren made his first six shots and scored 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. The Suns outrebounded the Kings 29-17 and hurt them from long range in the first half. Phoenix made 6 of 13 3-point shots while the Kings went 2-for-12.
Booker and Chriss each scored nine points in the first half.
Temple and Labissiere had 10 first-half points apiece for Sacramento.
The Suns went on a 14-2 run to end the first quarter and built a 35-25 lead. Warren and Booker each had seven points in the quarter, and Dragan Bender had six on a pair of 3-point shots to cap the run.
NOTES: Kings G De'Aaron Fox missed his fifth straight game with a partial tear of his right quadriceps. ... Kings F Skal Labissiere, who didn't play the previous three games, made his career-high 13th start of the season. ... Suns G Devin Booker played his second straight game after missing nine straight with a left adductor strain. ... The Suns took a 2-1 lead in the season series with one game remaining, April 3 at Phoenix.