Suns beat Nets
NEW YORK—Devin Booker scored 32 points, Mike James added 24 and the Phoenix Suns rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets 122-114 on Tuesday night.
T.J. Warren scored 14 of his 20 points during the final period for the Suns, who squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter when Brooklyn went on a 17-0 run. Phoenix seemed out of it after Ronda HollisJefferson’s basket gave Brooklyn a 106-98 lead with 6:35 left in the fourth.
But the Suns, who lost a tough one at Portland on Saturday, quickly answered with a 24-8 run for their first win on their five-game road trip.
D’Angelo Russell scored 33 points and Hollis-Jefferson had 21 for the Nets, who’ve lost three straight after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday at home.
Warren and James combined on a 7-0 run that closed the lead to 106-101 with 6:15, forcing the Nets to call a timeout.
After a miss by the Nets, Warren tipped in Booker’s failed layup to initiate a 9-0 run capped by Dragan Bender’s 3-pointer that gave the Suns a 116-108 lead with 2:03 left in the game.
Pacers 101, Kings 83
INDIANAPOLIS — A strong first-half allowed the Indiana Pacers starters to rest for most of the second half.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points to lead a balanced Indiana offense and help the Pacers to a 101-83 rout of the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
The Pacers (4-3) scored the first nine points and built a 55-30 lead at the half.
“We got to do some cheering today,” Pacers guard Victor Oladipo said of reserves receiving quality minutes in a blowout.
Indiana second-year forward Domantas Sabonis, coming off a personal-best 22 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday, had a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He finished with a career-high 16 rebounds in addition to 12 points and five assists.
Sabonis was actually sick the previous day.
“I laid in bed and tried to recover and get ready for today,” he said. “I’m just coming out there and proving to people that I can play.”
Pacers coach Nate McMillan was particularly pleased with his team meeting the per game goal of 25 assists.
“We want that ball moving,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is create other opportunities to where we get open looks as opposed to contested shots. If we’re dishing out 25 assists or more, everybody is touching the ball and it’s very difficult to defend that type of movement.”
Rookie guard De’Aaron Fox led the Kings (1-6) off the bench with 18 points. Fox has already matched the loss total in his only college season at Kentucky, which finished 32-6.
“It’s different,” he said. “For me, I’ve never really lost in my life. It’s just a hump we need to get through.”
Thunder 110, Bucks 91
MILWAUKEE —Paul George scored 20 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the paint during a 16-0 run to take control early in a 110-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Carmelo Anthony scored eight of his 17 points in the pivotal first quarter.
Oklahoma City went from down four to a 20-8 lead on George’s jumper with 4:16 left in the first. It was essentially over from there, especially with the way Westbrook kept finding driving lanes.
The reigning MVP dished off to Steven Adams in the paint when he wasn’t taking it to the hoop himself. Adams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jerami Grant added 17 points off the bench for the Thunder.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting. But the NBA’s scoring leader spent much of the first quarter on the bench with two fouls, and the Bucks struggled from the 3-point line, opening 1 of 14.
No other Buck scored in double figures.
The star-laden Thunder taught a lesson to the up-and-coming Bucks, who hope to contend in the Eastern Conference.