NBA: Devin Booker, Suns top Kings as Kevin Durant cheers on
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns slam dunks the ball over Kevin Huerter #9 of the Sacramento Kings during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on February 14, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Kings 120-109. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Devin Booker went for a team-high 32 points, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul contributed double-doubles and the Phoenix Suns, with injured newcomer Kevin Durant cheering them on from the bench, outlasted the visiting Sacramento Kings 120-109 on Tuesday night.
With T.J. Warren making his return to the lineup after being acquired along with Durant from the Brooklyn Nets last week, the Suns put on a stellar shooting display against the Kings, hitting 56.8 percent of their shots en route to a second straight win.
De’Aaron Fox had a game-high 35 points and Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double for the Kings, who at 32-25 will retain third place in the Western Conference at least through the All-Star break after finishing their first-half schedule with a second loss in their last three games.
Seeking revenge after an earlier home loss to the Suns, Sacramento led by as many as six points early on and hung within arm’s length into the final two minutes of the contest.
But Josh Okogie and Paul hit key jumpers within the final 1:46 to keep the Kings at bay, helping the Suns pull away.
Booker’s 32 points came on 13-for-20 shooting.
Ayton’s 29th double-double of the season consisted of 29 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Paul had 17 points to complement a season-high 19 assists.
Season-high 19 DIMES for @CP3 in the @Suns win! pic.twitter.com/In6PyUDCrT
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2023
Starting in a spot ticketed for Durant, Okogie added 19 points, making eight of his 13 shots and three of his four 3-point attempts for Phoenix, which wraps up its pre-All-Star-break schedule against the visiting Clippers on Thursday.
Durant is scheduled to be out through the break with a sprained right MCL. Warren had five points and two rebounds in seven minutes off the bench.
The Suns made only seven 3-pointers in the contest, half the Sacramento total. The Kings got four apiece from Fox, who shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and Kevin Huerter, who went 4-for-9 from long distance on an 18-point night.
Sabonis racked up his league-leading 45th double-double of the season with 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. He also found time for a team-high seven assists.
Harrison Barnes and Terence Davis chipped in with 11 points apiece for the Kings.
