Harrison Barnes nails buzzer-beating 3 to lift Kings past Suns / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AP – Scanpix Credit AP – Scanpix

Harrison Barnes buried a tiebreaking 3-pointer at the final horn Wednesday night, allowing the visiting Sacramento Kings (2-2), after blowing a late 13-point lead, to escape with a dramatic 110-107 (23-29, 30-32, 29-15, 28-31) victory over the Phoenix Suns(1-3).

Player of the Game EFF 25 Harrison Barnes Points 22 Accuracy 10-18 Rebounds 9 Assists 4

Buddy Hield came off the bench with a team-high 26 points, Barnes finished with 22, and De'Aaron Fox chipped in with 18 for the Kings, who opened a four-game trip by snapping a two-game losing streak.

Devin Booker paced the Suns with a game-high 31 points while DeAndre Ayton had 21 to go with a game-high 21 rebounds, but Phoenix never went ahead after losing the lead for good late in the third quarter.

After the Kings had trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, a 3-pointer by Tyrese Haliburton seemingly put the visitors in command at 101-88 with just 5:42 to play before the Suns came back strong.

Booker had nine points down the stretch and Jae Crowder a pair of 3-pointers, and when Mikal Bridges turned a Crowder steal into a dunk, the Suns had improbably completed a 19-6 flurry to draw even at 107-all with 34.7 seconds left.

Barnes and Booker missed chances to break the tie before Barnes took an inbound pass from Davion Mitchell with 1.4 seconds left, turned, and nailed his game-winner from well beyond the 3-point arc on the left wing.

The 3-pointer was Sacramento's 15th of the game. With Hield nailing seven in 11 tries, the Kings outscored the Suns 45-18 from deep.

Haliburton had 15 points, Richaun Holmes 12 to complement a team-high 12 rebounds, and Alex Len 10 for the Kings, who overcame a 17-11 deficit in free throw points and a 56-40 Suns dominance on the boards.

Fox also had a game-high nine assists for Sacramento.

Booker shot 12-for-28 en route to his 31-point total, while also finding time for eight assists and six rebounds.

Bridges totaled 15 points, while Crowder and Elfrid Payton added 10 apiece for Phoenix, which lost its second straight and third in four outings to start the season.

Kings: Buddy Hield 26 (5 REB), Harrison Barnes 22 (9 REB), De'Aron Fox 18 (9 AST), Tyrese Haliburton 15, Richaun Holmes 12 (12 REB).

Suns: Devin Booker 31 (8 AST, 6 REB), Deandre Ayton 21 (21 REB), Mikal Bridges 15, Jae Crowder 10, Elfrid Payton 10, JeVale McGee 7 (11 REB), Chris Paul 6 (8 AST, 6 REB).

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