NBA highlights on Feb. 13: Booker, Durant lead Suns' victory over Kings

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 130-125 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, rising to fifth place in the Western Conference.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined to drop 53 points for the Suns at home. The Kings didn't have anyone to stop Durant from scoring when he received the ball and went on the offensive. Booker struggled to make shots in the first half but heated up quickly in the second half to get 20 of his 25 points in the final two quarters.

The Suns' role players also contributed to the team's victory on Tuesday night. Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon made sure that the team had sustainable firepower with 42 points. Gordon drained four triples out of nine attempts. Royce O'Neal, who was just traded to the team last week, had eight points, two assists and two steals in the decisive fourth period.

The Suns led by only two points (125-123) with 18.1 seconds left in the final quarter. Booker was fouled and sent to the free throw line. He made his first shot but missed the second. A three-point lead is very different from a four-point one because it takes only one triple to wipe the former.

However, the Kings, who led 50-39 in rebounds in Tuesday's game, failed to get this defensive rebound. Josh Okogie tipped the ball to Allen, giving the Suns a second chance. The Kings had no choice but to foul Allen, who then made both free throws to extend their lead to five points (128-123), sealing the deal for his side.

The Kings dropped to eighth in the West due to Tuesday's loss. Their star duo, Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, both had dominant individual performances. Sabonis dropped a triple-double of 35 points and 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, and 12 assists. Whoever the Suns had to guard him on the court couldn't even slow him down. Fox reached double-digit points in three quarters to contribute a game-high 40 points for the Kings.

Malik Monk got 22 points off the bench for the Kings despite missing all five of his 3-pointers. Nonetheless, there was one thing that his team did poorly on the offensive end in Tuesday's game: They committed 13 turnovers. Though the total number was not big, 11 of them came from Fox and Monk, two of their main ball-handlers. The Suns apparently studied the Kings' offensive tricks and did a good job attacking the ball when Fox and Monk were running dribble handoffs with Sabonis.

Fox and Monk committed 11 turnovers with 12 assists. By contrast, Sabonis delivered 12 assists with only one turnover. Perhaps coach Mike Brown should rethink who their safest playmaker is before designing plays.

Other games on Tuesday (away teams come first):

Boston Celtics 118-110 Brooklyn Nets

The Celtics beat the Nets for the third time this season and extended their winning streak to five games after Jayson Tatum scored 41 points and 14 rebounds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. He got 31 points in the first half. His side led by as many as 23 points (93-70) in the third quarter.

Cam Thomas contributed 12 points for the Nets in the fourth period alone, helping the team cut their deficit to six points twice, but the Celtics shut the rallies down, thanks to their remarkable ball movement and offensive aggression.

Detroit Pistons 111-125 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers secured their second consecutive win after walking over the Pistons at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell combined to score 66 points for the purple and gold. Davis also got 14 rebounds and six blocks.

Spencer Dinwiddie, who joined the Lakers after being waived by the Toronto Raptors, made his debut as a Laker with six points, seven assists and two steals.

Oklahoma City Thunder 127-113 Orlando Magic

Miami Heat 123-97 Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves 121-109 Portland Trail Blazers