National Basketball Association
Sacramento 107, Phoenix 101
When: 10:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
#48 Scott Foster, #18 Matt Boland, #37 Eric Dalen
Attendance:
17196
By The Sports Xchange
PHOENIX -- Skal Labissiere had a fourth quarter to remember, and the Sacramento Kings hope what they saw is a harbinger of things to come.
The rookie from Kentucky scored a career-high 32 points, including his team's first 16 points of the fourth quarter, to help the Kings beat the Phoenix Suns 107-101 on Wednesday.
Labissiere had 19 of Sacramento's first 24 points in the fourth quarter and 21 in all during the period. He added 11 rebounds for his first NBA double-double.
"My teammates did a great job of looking for me and putting me in great situations and trusting me. That really gets your confidence going," said Labissiere, who has played in 18 games this season and had a career high of 15 points before Wednesday. "They told me to keep going, and they kept throwing me the ball."
Willie Cauley-Stein had 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and four blocks for the Kings, who have won two straight games on the heels of an eight-game losing streak. Sacramento (27-41) won back-to-back games for the first time since winning four straight from Feb. 8-14.
"We played with a lot of energy, and Skal got us going offensively and we got the stops on defense," Cauley-Stein said. "I thought we were really poised. We controlled the second half at our pace instead of playing the way they wanted.
"Skal's a really talented kid, and he's super young. It's scary to think of what he's going to end up playing like. That's the future for both of us, playing together and getting better."
TJ Warren had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Devin Booker added 19 points for the Suns, who played without guard Eric Bledsoe (rest). Tyler Ulis, like Labissiere a rookie from Kentucky, teamed with another former Wildcat, Booker, and had 13 points and 13 assists in his first NBA start in place of Bledsoe.
Phoenix coach Earl Watson intimated that Bledsoe might be shut down for the season.
"Management decision," Watson said. "I don't think any coaching staff would hold Bled out. He's been great. He had a great season, played at a high level and been dominant all year and took a big leap in the right direction."
Phoenix (22-46) also lost forward Derrick Jones Jr. to a right hip contusion (X-rays negative) early in the second quarter and guard Leandro Barbosa to illness at halftime.
Forward Marquese Chriss scored 17 points, and Alan Williams added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns.
"We still want to go out there and win games," Williams said. "I was disappointed in the way I played today. Just got to be better."
Labissiere scored in double figures in four of the previous six games, but this was his breakout night, and the fourth was his quarter.
He started with a three-point play at 11:23 to tie the game at 77 and capped the run of 16 points with his first-ever NBA 3-pointer -- on his second career attempt -- with 6:21 left to make it 90-85 Kings.
"I can shoot it. It's just a matter of taking it step by step," Labissiere said. "Getting myself going with put-backs, the post, the mid-range shots and then eventually taking it out there. Willie set a screen, and I popped out and it was the right time."
The Suns tied the game at 93 on a Ulis floating jumper with 3:33 left, but Cauley-Stein put the Kings ahead for good with a put-back with 3:03 left, and Sacramento took over from there.
Phoenix used 10 early points by Booker and four assists from Ulis to build a quick 20-10 lead. The Suns led 29-22 after one quarter and were up 39-29 after a hook shot by Williams.
The Kings ended the first half on a 12-2 run and took their first lead since the opening minute on a Kosta Koufos back shot with 28.4 seconds left for a 48-47 halftime edge.
Aaron Afflalo had eight points in the third quarter for the Kings, but Booker and Ulis had seven each, and the Suns took a 75-74 lead to the fourth.
NOTES: Sacramento coach Dave Joerger on the play of Phoenix F Marquese Chriss, whom the Suns obtained during the 2016 draft through a deal with the Kings: "It was a position where they had a need so he could step right in and play a lot. I'm a big fan of his. I think he's going to be a good player to be honest with you. Hate it!" ... G Leandro Barbosa, who scored four points before leaving the game Wednesday, has 6,408 points as a Sun. He needs 13 points to pass Jeff Hornacek for 13th on Phoenix's all-time list. ... Phoenix's starting lineup of Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, TJ Warren, Chriss and Alex Len was the youngest in franchise history, with an average age of 22 years, 210 days.
Top Game Performances
Sacramento |
|
Phoenix |
Skal Labissiere 32 |
Scoring |
TJ Warren 24 |
Ty Lawson 6 |
Assists |
Tyler Ulis 13 |
Willie Cauley-Stein 11 |
Rebounds |
Alan Williams 11 |
Skal Labissiere 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Devin Booker 4 |
Willie Cauley-Stein 4 |
Steals |
Marquese Chriss 2 |
Willie Cauley-Stein 4 |
Blocks |
Marquese Chriss 5 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Sacramento
|
107 |
48.1 |
6-14 |
25-34 |
22 |
48 |
11 |
8 |
18 |
Phoenix
|
101 |
40.2 |
6-25 |
9-14 |
24 |
47 |
11 |
9 |
13 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Suns have a W/L % of .217 after a win and .378 after a loss.
-
Sacramento will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Kings have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .405 after a loss.