Dewayne Dedmon and De’Aaron Fox help shorthanded Kings come back to beat Phoenix Suns
Kings center Richaun Holmes joined Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III on the injured list for Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, leaving coach Luke Walton with some interesting decisions to make.
Walton chose to give Harry Giles III his first career start and brought Dewayne Dedmon out of exile to log significant minutes for the first time since Dec. 4. Both players rose to the challenge, and so did De’Aaron Fox, helping the Kings overcome a 21-point deficit to beat the Suns 114-103 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.
Fox scored 27 points for the Kings (15-23), who have won three of their last four games after losing eight in a row. Nemanja Bjelica had 19 points and seven rebounds. Buddy Hield added 16 points.
Dedmon came off the bench to post 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings. He had only logged seven minutes since falling out of the rotation in early December and had been listed as inactive in the three previous games after going public with his trade request.
Giles, who recently returned to the rotation after sitting 15 consecutive games, finished with eight points and eight rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 34 points for the Suns (14-22), extending his franchise record with his seventh consecutive 30-point game. Deandre Ayton had 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points.
Holmes missed the game with a strained right shoulder. Bogdanovic missed his third game in a row due to right ankle soreness. Bagley has missed the past seven games with a midfoot sprain after previously missing 22 games due to a broken thumb.
The Kings outscored the Suns 10-2 to start the game but trailed 29-26 going into the second quarter. They reclaimed the lead in the second period and went into the halftime break tied at 53-53.
The Suns outscored the Kings 18-2 to start the second half. Most of the damage was done by Booker, who scored 14 points in the third quarter after being held to 11 in the first half.
Phoenix went up 71-55 on a 3-pointer by Aron Baynes. The Suns led by as many as 21 following a basket by Booker with 4:50 to play in the third period.
The Kings started their comeback with a 19-7 run to end the third quarter. They continued to chip away at the deficit to take a 92-91 lead on a dunk by Bjelica. The Suns briefly reclaimed the lead, but a 31-foot bomb by Bjelica put the Kings back on top.
Holmes injury update
Holmes is considered day-to-day after suffering a strained right shoulder in Monday’s win over the Golden State Warriors. He traveled with the team to Phoenix but was ruled out before the game.
“He’s not going to play tonight,” Walton told reporters in Phoenix. “He got treatment when we got in last night late, got treatment again this morning before our film session and wanted to try, but he’s not there, so he will be out. He’ll get treatment back here during the game and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Holmes sustained the injury when he collided with Warriors guard Damion Lee on a pick-and-roll play in the third quarter of Sacramento’s 111-98 win over the Warriors. He left the game with 7:25 to play in the third and did not return.
Not another injury
Bjelica hurt his right ankle when he landed on Mikal Bridges’ foot on a 3-point attempt with 11:51 to play in the fourth quarter.
Bjelica crumbled to the floor and appeared to be in significant pain, but he stayed in the game and played through the discomfort. Officials called Bridges for a type-1 flagrant foul after reviewing the play.
Bjelica has appeared in 35 games for the Kings. He was averaging 11.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists going into Tuesday’s game.
Another injury scare
The Kings got another injury scare when forward Harrison Barnes went down on the baseline clutching his right leg late in the first quarter. Barnes left the game after taking a knee to the thigh in a collision with Kelly Oubre Jr., but he returned in the second quarter.
Barnes has appeared in all 38 games for the Kings. Going into Tuesday’s game, he was averaging 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.2 minutes per contest.
Coming up
The Kings will return from their jaunt to Phoenix to face reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at Golden 1 Center.
The Bucks (32-6) suffered a 126-104 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday but still have the best record in the NBA. They will visit the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday before continuing on to Sacramento.
Antetokounmpo, now in his seventh season, is putting up even bigger numbers than he posted during his MVP campaign in 2018-19. He is averaging 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. He has also improved his 3-point shooting to a career-best 32.6 percent despite nearly doubling his volume to 5.2 attempts per game.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle), Richaun Holmes (shoulder), Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Suns: OUT — Frank Kaminsky (knee).
Kings upcoming schedule
Jan. 10 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Orlando, 7 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. Dallas Mavericks
Jan. 18 at Utah, 6 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Miami, 2 p.m.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 8:40 PM.
