De’Aaron Fox outduels Devin Booker, Chris Paul in Kings’ win over Phoenix Suns
The Kings remained unbeaten with a 106-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns in their home opener Saturday night at Golden 1 Center.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Kings (2-0), who will entertain the Suns again Sunday evening to complete a back-to-back set.
Buddy Hield scored 15 points for Sacramento. Marvin Bagley III and Harrison Barnes both posted double-doubles for the Kings, who improved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Bagley finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Barnes had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“Right now we’re playing well,” Fox said. “We won these first two games. We’ve got another one tomorrow and 69 after that, so we’ve just got to keep playing together as a team.”
Devin Booker led all scorers with 26 points for the Suns (1-1), who beat the Dallas Mavericks to open the season earlier this week. Chris Paul had 22 points and 12 assists. Jae Crowder posted 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Kings amassed a 56-40 rebounding advantage and went to the free-throw line 33 times, attempting 20 more free throws than the Suns. Sacramento shot 45.3% from the field while holding the Suns to 41.8% shooting.
“We made it a point to be more aggressive,” said Kings center Richaun Holmes, who had 11 points and nine rebounds. “Those are points of emphasis.”
The Kings started the game with a 15-2 run and carried a 58-54 lead into the locker room at the half. Sacramento shot 50% in the opening half while holding Phoenix to 45.1%.
The Kings led by eight early in the third quarter, but the Suns responded with an 11-0 run. They tied the game on a 3-pointer by Booker and took a 65-62 lead on another bomb by Booker on the next possession, forcing the Kings to take a timeout. Sacramento trailed 74-70 midway through the third, but the Kings outscored Phoenix 13-5 over the final 4:37 to carry an 83-79 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Kings were clinging to a two-point lead after Crowder made a 3-pointer with 3:41 to play. Hield came up with a huge steal, leading to a transition basket and Holmes converted a three-point play to help the Kings hold on for the win.
Fox finding his stroke
There was some concern in Sacramento after Fox struggled with his shot in preseason play, but those struggles have not carried into the regular season.
Fox made 17 of 51 field-goal attempts and 4 of 27 from 3-point range in four preseason games, shooting 33.3% from the field and an abysmal 14.8% from beyond the arc. He has been much better since the regular season began, particularly from 3-point range, making 4 of 9 (.444) from long distance over the first two games.
Fox made one of his two 3-point attempts in a season-opening win over the Denver Nuggets. He made 3 of 4 against the Suns.
Sizzling start
The Kings got off to a terrific start, making six of their first nine field-goal attempts while outscoring the Suns 15-2 over the first four minutes of the contest.
Barnes was active and aggressive early. He had two baskets in the first minute followed by a blocked shot, a defensive rebound and an assist on a 3-pointer by Hield.
The Kings led 31-25 at the end of the first quarter. They shot 54.2% in the opening period while holding the Suns to 44% shooting.
Kings honor Jerry Reynolds
The Kings honored Jerry Reynolds before the game, naming the Golden 1 Center media entrance in his honor. Reynolds came to Sacramento in 1985 and spent 36 years with the Kings organization as a coach, executive and television analyst before announcing his retirement in November.
The Jerry Reynolds Media Entrance, located near David J. Stern Walk between the team store and the grand entrance, commemorates Reynolds’ enduring impact on the organization. The display features artwork, imagery and signage representing the spirit of Reynolds’ work with the team. The exhibit also includes a plaque that articulates the franchise’s tribute to Reynolds in greater detail.
Spirit of giving
Earlier this week, Barnes and his wife, Brittany, treated 75 lucky shoppers to a shopping spree at Bel Air, which temporarily closed its South Natomas location and surprised everyone inside with a $250 gift card.
Barnes was unable to be there due to NBA health and safety protocols, but he sent a prerecorded message to shoppers announcing the surprise and wishing them happy holidays.
Injury report
Suns: OUT — Abdel Nader (concussion); Dario Saric (quad).
Kings: DOUBTFUL — DaQuan Jeffries (back). PROBABLE — Jabari Parker (back).
Upcoming Kings schedule
Dec. 27 vs. Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m.
Dec. 29 vs. Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Houston Rockets, 4 p.m.
Jan. 2 at Houston Rockets, 2 p.m.
Jan. 4 at Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 10:04 PM.
