Field Level Media
Jan 8, 2019
Kelly Oubre Jr. gave Phoenix the lead with a pair of free throws with 43.5 seconds remaining and added a dunk 32 seconds later, helping the Suns stun the visiting Sacramento Kings 115-111 on Tuesday night after they trailed by 19 points at halftime.
Oubre led all scorers with 26 points.
Ben McLemore matched his season-high point total in the second quarter alone, contributing 11 points to a 40-18 explosion that sent the Kings to a 72-53 halftime advantage.
But the Suns outscored the Kings 33-14 in the third quarter to even it up at 86-86, and finished the game on an 11-2 run after falling behind again by five with just 2:25 to play.
Oubre's free throws put the Suns on top after Willie Cauley-Stein scored on an alley-oop that gave the Kings one last lead at 111-110 with 1:03 to go.
After a Kings turnover, Oubre made it a three-point game when he followed in a missed shot with a dunk with 11.1 seconds left.
Deandre Ayton completed the scoring with one free throw with 7.2 seconds left, allowing the Suns to snap a six-game losing streak and avoid what would have been a franchise-record-tying worst homestand of seven straight losses.
Ayton finished with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Suns, who were beaten at home by the Kings earlier this season.
T.J. Warren (21 points), Josh Jackson (13), Richaun Holmes (12), Troy Daniels (11) and De'Anthony Melton (10) also scored in double figures for Phoenix.
Melton complemented his 10 points with a game-high eight assists.
McLemore, whose previous season-high had been 11 points against the Los Angeles Clippers last month, finished with 20 for the Kings, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back that began with a home win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
De'Aaron Fox paced Sacramento with 24 points, while Buddy Hield had 16, Cauley-Stein 15 plus to go with a team-high seven rebounds, and Justin Jackson 12.
The Suns outshot the Kings 51.1 percent to 47.5 percent.
--Field Level Media