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Ayton and the Suns end skid with 115-111 win over Buddy and Kings

Sacramento Kings centre Willie Cauley-Stein (00) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton in the first half last night in Phoenix.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Sacramento Kings centre Willie Cauley-Stein (00) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton in the first half last night in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By BOB BAUM

AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr matched his career high with 26 points, including a one-handed rebound jam with 11.1 seconds to play, and the Phoenix Suns snapped a six-game losing streak, rallying from a 21-point deficit to beat the turnover-prone Sacramento Kings 115-111 last night.

Oubre, obtained in the trade that sent Trevor Ariza to Washington on December 17, matched the 26 points he scored for the Wizards against Detroit on January 19 of last year.

T.J. Warren added 21 points and Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who were without leading scorer Devin Booker due to back spasms.

Buddy Hield scored 16, De’Aaron Fox scored 24 and Ben McLemore 20 for the Kings, who committed a season-high 26 turnovers, 18 in the second half.

Hield also grabbed four rebounds and had two assists.

Sacramento lost for the fifth time in six games. After six losses, Phoenix salvaged the finale of a seven-game homestand.Phoenix finished the game on an 11-2 run after Fox’s 3-pointer put Sacramento up 109-104 with 2:23 to play.

De’Anthony Melton’s rebound basket gave the Suns a 110-109 lead, but Willie Cauley-Stein’s two-handed dunk put Sacramento back up 111-110.

Oubre’s two free throws restored the lead to Phoenix, 112-111, and after yet another Sacramento turnover, Oubre slammed Warren’s miss home to make it 114-111.

Ayton sealed it by making one of two free throws with 7.2 seconds to go.

Phoenix led 35-32 after one quarter but the Kings used an 8-0 run to lead 55-45 on Justin Jackson’s 3-pointer with 5:50 left in the half.

The Kings had another 8-0 run to finish the half, capped by McLemore’s 3, to lead 72- 53 at the break.Sacramento led by as many as 21 early in the second half before Warren scored the first five in a 7-0 Phoenix spurt to cut the lead to 77-65. The Suns outscored Sacramento 13-2 over the last four minutes of the third quarter to tie it 86-86 entering the fourth. The scoring run reached 16-2 when Jamal Crawford sank a three-pointer after a Suns offensive rebound in the opening minute of the final quarter.

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