|
 Making a few 3-point shots always helps.
Guard Brandon Knight atoned for a scoreless first half by scoring 17
second-half points, and the Suns made 14 of 23 3-point attempts to
run away from the Sacramento Kings 118-97 Wednesday.
The Suns came into the game shooting 28 percent as a team from
3-point range, but Knight and forward P.J. Tucker hit three each,
and eight Suns had at least one.
"We kind of threw that Dallas game under the rug, and since then, to
be 3-1 in the last four, that's more of who we are," said Tucker,
who scored 10 points. "It's good to see those shots falling like
they always do in practice. We still can be a lot better, but we
have a good team. You can see the progress coming."
Phoenix guard Eric Bledsoe poured in 10 of his team-high 19 points
in the first quarter, and center Alex Len added 16 points and seven
rebounds.
Knight then led the charge during a 32-point third quarter in which
the Suns took control and led by as many as 21 points.
"I didn't make shots in the first half (0-for-4), but I stayed in
the game, continued to play hard and do other things to help," said
Knight, who scored 12 points in the third quarter. "I wanted to try
to continue to be aggressive in the third, and if we can shoot the
three like that along with running the floor and getting easy ones,
we'll be a very good offensive team."
Phoenix went on a 17-5 run midway through the fourth, with Len
scoring the last seven to make it 105-84 with 4:46 left.
Forward Kosta Koufas had 16 points, and forward James Anderson and
guard Marco Belinelli had 15 each for the Kings. Sacramento (1-4)
lost for the second time in as many nights without center DeMarcus
Cousins, out with an Achilles tendon injury.
"When you've got a hole without (Cousins) and are trying to learn
your new personality early in a season against a really good team,
you've got to stay the course and stay together and figure out
little pieces here and there against a tough schedule," Sacramento
coach George Karl said.
Cousins led the Kings to three wins in four meetings against the
Suns last year, averaging 25.7 points and 13.6 rebounds.
"He's one of the best players in the league, not just centers,"
Tucker said of Cousins. "When he's out, they're going to be a
different team. But with him, they will be a tough team to beat."
[to top of second column] |
The Suns shot 40 percent from the field over their first four games
but had a good shooting start Wednesday. Phoenix made 12 of 22 shots
from the field in the first quarter, and Bledsoe was very active
with three assists and three steals to go with his 10 points.
"I just tried to come out aggressive, get everyone involved,
including myself, and try to set the tempo from the jump," Bledsoe
said. "We've got a deep team and everyone brings something. We just
have to stay the course and play together."
Trailing by nine at the half, the Kings went on a 15-6 run to open
the third quarter, with guard Darren Collison following an Anderson
3-pointer with a fastbreak finish to tie the game at 55.
The Suns answered with a 9-2 run featuring two 3-pointers by guard
Ronnie Price and a T.J. Warren fastbreak layup.
"We made a run but they came out of a timeout, made some shots and
we got stuck (defensively)," Rondo said. "We have to get it right.
We don't have a choice. We have to continue to fight and trust one
another and the system to get some wins."
NOTES: The Suns didn't mind seeing Kings C DeMarcus Cousins out of
the lineup. "He causes all kinds of trouble inside," Phoenix coach
Jeff Hornacek said. ... How much has the addition of C Tyson
Chandler helped the Suns? In the first four games of the season,
Phoenix collected 211 rebounds (52.8 per game), which ranked third
in the league. It was the first time in franchise history the Suns
grabbed at least 48 rebound in each of the first four games. The
Suns outrebounded the Kings 41-33. ... Last year, the Kings were
6-17 in the 23 games Cousins missed. ... Sacramento coach George
Karl on Suns G Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, who entered the
night averaging 18 points and five assists a game: "I love their
point guards. I like playing two point guards. It's a nice young
team."
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
