Sabonis, Valanciunas lead Kings past Suns in finale

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas each had a double-double, and Sacramento clinched homecourt advantage for the Kings first play-in game, beating the Phoenix Suns 109-98 on Sunday.

Sabonis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for his 61st double-double of the season while Valanciunas had 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Zach LaVine added 20 points as the Kings (40-42) ended a two-game skid.

Sacramento, ninth in the Western Conference standings, hosts the No. 10 Dallas Mavericks in a loser-out play-in game on Wednesday.

The Suns rested their top three players and finished the season 36-46, their worst record since going 34-39 during the Covid-shortened season 2019-20.

Grayson Allen paced the Suns with 20 points. Tyus Jones scored 17 points while Ryan Dunn and Colin Gilespie each had 12 points.

Key moment

The Suns missed a chance to cut into a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter before Grayson Allen missed a relatively easy layup. The Kings grabbed the rebound and Sacramento’s Trey Lyles followed with a 3-pointer.

Key stat

Playing without three key starters, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer leaned a lot on his reserves. The Kings took full advantage and outscored Phoenix’s bench 50-33.

Up next

The Kings host the Mavericks in the first round of the play-in bracket Wednesday. The Suns will miss the postseason for the first time since 2020.

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