Kings Erase Huge Deficit To Stun Suns For Second Straight Win
Jan 7, 2020, 8:54 PM | Updated: 8:55 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Sacramento trailed by 21-points in the third quarter before going outscoring Suns 54-23 over the final 16 minutes
The “Cardiac Kings” have returned.
Sacramento erased an 80-59 deficit with four minutes remaining in the third-quarter as they would go on to defeat the Phoenix Suns by a final of 114-103 on Tuesday night at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Arizona.
After big first half performances by De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, Sacramento entered the half with a 53-53 tie.
Things got out of hand quickly however, as the Suns would burst out of the gates with an 18-2 run to start the second-half. The Kings would respond with a 16-5 run to cut the deficit to 87-78 heading into the final period.
Fox, who scored 16 points in the first half, went scoreless in the third quarter before taking over in the fourth. The 22 year-old scored 11 of his 27 points over the final period, pacing the Kings to a comeback victory. With the win, Sacramento has won two games in-a-row for the first time since December 9-11.
After winning three of their last four contests, Sacramento is now 15-23 on the season, and only 1.5 games back of the eighth-seed in the Western Conference standings.
Kings center Dewayne Dedmon made his first appearance since December 26, and accumulated over 10 minutes of action for the first time since December 4th. His play was without question the boost that this depleted Sacramento squad needed, providing 12 points and 10 rebounds over 32 minutes in the win.
With Marvin Bagley III (foot) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) sidelined, Dedmon took advantage of his opportunity in a big way.
Nemanja Bjelica finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Buddy Hield chipped in with 16 points on four-of-seven from beyond the three-point stripe. Trevor Ariza had his second-consecutive game with 15-plus points or more, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Bogdan Bogdanovic missed his third-consecutive game with a sore ankle, and is considered questionable for Friday’s game in Sacramento against the Bucks.
Phoenix guard Devin Booker set a new Suns franchise record for consecutive games with 30-points or more with 34 points on 12-of-21 from the field, his seventh-straight game topping the 30-point mark.
Coming Up
Sacramento will return home after the short one-game road trip on Friday night when they face the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center.
Tune in to Sports 1140 KHTK for all of the action, starting with pregame coverage at 6:30pm followed by tip-off at 7:00pm.
