Fox scores 28 of 34 points in 2nd half as Kings pull away to beat Suns

PHOENIX (AP) — De'Aaron Fox scored 28 of his 34 points in the second half, Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 17 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 114-106 on Friday night.

The Kings won their third straight game in the series. Devin Booker led the Suns with 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and seven assists.

The short-handed Suns — playing without stars Kevin Durant (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back) — led 59-50 at halftime after a 13-3 run to end the second quarter. Booker shot 7 of 9 from the field before the break, scoring 18 points. Sabonis led the Kings with 10.

The Kings flipped the advantage in hurry, taking an 83-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Phoenix scored just 12 points in the third, struggling to find opportunities for the double-teamed Booker.

Sacramento pushed ahead by 15 early in the fourth but the Suns hit four straight 3-pointers to stay in the game. The Kings would remain in control — partly because of a five-point swing by Fox.

Fox was fouled on a 3-point attempt by Jusuf Nurkic with 6:08 left in the game and the call was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 because Nurkic didn't give space for Fox to land after the jumper. Fox hit two of three free throws and then made a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, pushing the Kings ahead 101-90.

Sacramento got lots of production from its bench. Rookie Sasha Vezenkov scored 14 points, Malik Monk had 13 and Keon Ellis added 10.

The Suns fell to 5-6 at home this season.

The teams played after both lost in the quarterfinals of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. The Suns fell to the Lakers, while the Kings lost to the Pelicans.

UP NEXT

Kings: Host Brooklyn on Monday night.

Suns: Host Golden State on Tuesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA