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  • Booker scores 44, Suns top Kings 122-117 for 5th straight

    Booker scores 44, Suns top Kings 122-117 for 5th straight

    Devin Booker had 44 points, eight rebounds and six steals, and the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to five with a 122-117 victory over the Sacramento Kings

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Devin Booker had 44 points, eight rebounds and six steals, and the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to five with a 122-117 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

    Deandre Ayton added 17 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season for Phoenix, which has won six of seven.

    Booker closed out his second-highest point total of the season by knocking down a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left after Torrey Craig secured an offensive rebound. He scored 49 points in a loss to Utah earlier in the month.

    Damion Lee scored 15 points off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers. Mikal Bridges finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He hit a three-pointer with just over a minute left to stretch the lead to 10.

    Malik Monk scored 30 points for the Kings, his fourth game over 20 points this season.

    Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Kings have lost three straight after a seven-game win streak.

    Kevin Huerter scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Huerter’s dunk with 35 seconds left cut the Suns’ lead to three.

    Keegan Murray scored 11 points. The rookie from Iowa had scored in single digits in the Kings’ last three games.

    The first half featured 16 ties and eight lead changes. Phoenix opened the second half on a 14-2 run after trailing by one.

    TIP-INS

    Suns: G Chris Paul missed his 10th consecutive game with right heel soreness. … Booker was given a technical foul with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

    Kings: F Trey Lyles was ruled out due to a non-COVID illness… Sabonis recorded his 12th double-double of the season, which is the second-most in the NBA. … The Kings have scored over 100 points in every game this season.

    UP NEXT

    Suns: Host Chicago on Wednesday.

    Kings: Host Indiana on Wednesday.

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  • Adebayo scores 30, Heat storm back to stun Suns 113-112

    Adebayo scores 30, Heat storm back to stun Suns 113-112

    MIAMI — Elite scorer. Elite defender.

    Devin Booker got to his spot. Jimmy Butler got there, too. And Butler rose to the moment, capping a brilliant comeback win for the Miami Heat.

    Bam Adebayo scored 30 points, including a pair of go-ahead free throws with 35 seconds left, and Butler’s block was part of a frantic finish as the Heat rallied from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Monday night.

    “Those two guys are really the foundational heartbeat pieces to our team,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We follow their warrior spirits. They’re just so tough, the epitome of being two-way basketball players.”

    Phoenix had three shots to win on its final possession — a missed layup by Cameron Payne, the jumper from Booker from the right elbow that Butler blocked, and then a 3-pointer from Booker that bounced off the rim, with Butler hounding him again.

    “Tough break for us,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Our guys fought like heck to have a chance to win.”

    Butler finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each scored 15 for Miami, which got back to .500 at 7-7.

    “I love the fact that we won this game on the defensive end,” Butler said.

    Adebayo outscored the Suns by himself in the last eight minutes, 12-10. Phoenix missed 12 of its 16 shots in that span, while Miami finished 8 for its last 12.

    Booker led the Suns with 25 points. Duane Washington Jr. added 21 and Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who shot only four free throws compared to Miami’s 25.

    “That is hard to swallow … a physical game like that, where everybody’s bumpin’, we only get four free throws,” Williams said. “This is becoming really hard to swallow. You feel like you can’t even talk about it because you’re going to be fined.”

    The Heat went 22 for 25 on those tries from the line, the 13th consecutive game where they shot at least 80% from the stripe — extending their franchise record.

    It was the first time an NBA team shot four free throws in a game since May 16, 2021 — also the Suns, against San Antonio.

    Torrey Craig’s layup with 8:03 left put Phoenix up 102-89, the Suns’ biggest lead of the night. The Heat outscored Phoenix 24-10 the rest of the way.

    “We’ve had tests all year, and some of those games we didn’t finish,” Adebayo said. “They were nothing but experience for a game like this.”

    Both teams were missing key guards. Miami’s Tyler Herro was out for the fourth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle, and Phoenix’s Chris Paul sat with right heel soreness.

    TIP-INS

    Suns: The Suns don’t believe Paul’s heel issue is long-term. “Day-to-day,” coach Monty Williams said. … Phoenix lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. … The Suns had been 7-0 in games in which they led by at least 13 points.

    Heat: Among those in the crowd — Wayne Gretzky, Odell Beckham Jr. and Melvin Ingram. … Dewayne Dedmon had 12 for the Heat, including a pair of 3-pointers late in the third to stop a Phoenix run. … Adebayo also had 10 rebounds.

    LOWRY 2K

    Lowry’s first 3-pointer was the 2,000th of his career. He’s the 12th player in NBA history to make that many.

    BIRTHDAY REF

    South Florida native Dedric Taylor was one of the referees, working on his 47th birthday. Taylor worked for the City of North Miami Beach Parks & Recreation Department and was a UPS driver before getting into the NBA.

    UP NEXT

    Suns: Host Golden State on Wednesday

    Heat: Visit Toronto on Wednesday.

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