National Basketball Association
Phoenix 105, Sacramento 103
When: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, February 3, 2017
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Officials: #40 Leon Wood, #42 Eric Lewis, #33 Sean Corbin
Attendance: 17608

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- As he moved right, then jumped, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker looked anything but balanced, and the basketball launched from his right hand didn't seem to be aimed anywhere in particular.

But more than 30 minutes after the ball caromed off the backboard square and cleanly through the net, beating the Sacramento Kings 105-103 at the Golden 1 Center, Booker insisted that he envisioned that ending the whole time.

"I was aiming for glass," the Suns' 20-year-old second-year player said. "It was no fluke."

Booker's shot put the capper on a 33-point night and ended his team's five-game losing streak. He topped 30 points for the eighth time this season and scored at least 20 for the 15th straight time.

In doing so, he handed Sacramento its fourth straight home loss. The Kings (19-31), who opened a six-game homestand have lost eight of their past nine games on their home court.

"There are some plays I wish we could have back down the stretch," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "We had some balls in our hands that were knocked away."

Booker's shot came after the Suns rallied down the stretch to erase a 98-91 Sacramento lead in the final 4:22. Kings guard Darren Collison knocked down a baseline jumper with 8.2 seconds left to set the stage for Booker.

He took the inbounds pass along the sideline, and with Kings forward Matt Barnes on him, took two dribbles from the left-side wing toward the top of the key. He then jumped and while still fading right in the air, launched the game-winner.

"I know Matt's a good defender, and when I saw he's on me, I didn't want to mess around with the ball," Booker said. "I wanted to pick a spot and get it off. It was the first option, but we had others. ... Main thing was to make sure that we were at least going to overtime."

Instead, he silenced another sellout crowd, and left the Kings scratching their heads.

"Matt played tough defense," Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins said. "(Booker) made the shot."

Cousins finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to pace the Kings, his second triple double of the season and sixth of his career. But he made only six of 16 shots and missed a six-minute stretch of the final quarter after picking up his fifth foul with 9:22 left.

Collison finished with 19 points, and Ty Lawson scored 18 off the bench for a Kings team that was playing short-handed. Already without forwards Rudy Gay and guard Omri Casspi, the Kings played without guards Garrett Temple (partially torn hamstring) and small forward Arron Affalo (stomach illness).

Collison's 17-footer put the Kings ahead 98-91, but Booker threw down a dunk off a steal and after a Collison turnover, Eric Bledsoe canned a 3-pointer. Booker then made two free throws with 2:54 left to tie the game after a foul by Lawson.

Cousins responded by hitting a 3-pointer on Sacramento's next possession, but TJ Warren's floating 7-foot jumper with 1:34 left made it 101-100, and a Kings miss, PJ Tucker swished a wide-open corner 3-pointer for a 103-101 Phoenix lead.

"Big shot by P.J. Tucker," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "Credit unselfishness from Bledsoe to Booker to T.J. He shot it in rhythm and with confidence."

Warren finished with 21 points for Phoenix, and Bledsoe added 20. Brandon Knight added 12 points off the bench.

The Suns also did just enough defensively, holding the Kings to 45 percent shooting and benefiting from 13 turnovers. Phoenix won despite allowing 100 points for the 13th consecutive contest.

Ben McLemore scored a season-high 18 points for Sacramento. McLemore scored 10 of Sacramento's first 15 points and kept the Kings from falling behind by a big margin during a cold-shooting first quarter that saw them make only three of their first 12 shots.

Barnes added six points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento.

NOTES: The Suns faced Sacramento two days after media outlets in Phoenix reported the two teams engaged in trade discussions about Kings F DeMarcus Cousins. CSN Sports Bay Area reported last month that the Kings intend to sign Cousins to a long-term contract this summer. ... Phoenix coach Earl Watson completed the equivalent of his first full season with a 28-54 record. Only Red Kerr, with a 16-66 mark in Phoenix's inaugural 1968-69 season, posted a worse mark in his first 82 games. John Wetzel also was 28-54 in 1987-88, his only season as coach. ... Sacramento G Garrett Temple (partially torn right hamstring) missed his first game of the season and won't return until after the All-Star break. C Kosta Koufos is the only Kings player to have participated in every contest. ... F Derrick Jones Jr. will become the seventh Phoenix player to compete in the Slam Dunk contest and the first since F Amar'e Stoudemire in 2005.
Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   Sacramento
Devin Booker 33 Scoring DeMarcus Cousins 22
Eric Bledsoe 4 Assists DeMarcus Cousins 12
Tyson Chandler 12 Rebounds DeMarcus Cousins 11
Eric Bledsoe 9 Free Throws Made DeMarcus Cousins 7
Devin Booker 2 Steals Ty Lawson 2
Devin Booker 1 Blocks DeMarcus Cousins 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 105 41.6 12-29 29-35 11 39 3 7 12
Sacramento 103 44.7 10-27 17-22 23 43 4 5 13
Upcoming Games
  • Sacramento will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Kings have a W/L % of .316 after a win and .419 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Suns have a W/L % of .188 after a win and .382 after a loss.