Jusuf Nurkic split two free throws with 8.7 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns pressured Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox into a late turnover as they produced a vital 108-107 victory over the host Kings on Friday night.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Devin Booker tallied 21 and Bradley Beal had 20 points and nine rebounds as Phoenix (48-33) won for the fifth time in its last seven games.
The Suns remain one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the sixth and final automatic playoff berth in the Western Conference with one game remaining. Phoenix holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by going 2-1 against the Pelicans in the season series.
Domantas Sabonis had 25 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for his 76th double-double of the season for the Kings (45-36), who led by 16 points with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter but lost for the fifth time in the past six games.
Fox and Keegan Murray scored 23 points apiece and Keon Ellis added 17 for Sacramento, which is tied for the ninth-best record in the West with the Golden State Warriors.
Fox was maneuvering to take the possible decisive shot in the final seconds but found himself triple-teamed by Beal, Booker and Grayson Allen. But as he began to go up for the shot, he lost the ball and the Suns’ Royce O’Neale picked up the ball and ran out the clock.
Allen added 19 points and Nurkic had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns.
Sacramento shot 44 percent from the field, including 14 of 38 from 3-point range. Harrison Barnes added 12 points.
The Suns hit 52.6 percent of their attempts and were 12 of 32 from behind the arc.
Phoenix rallied to knot the score at 91 on Beal’s 3-pointer with 9:21 left in the game.
Murray made two treys as the Kings scored 12 of the next 17 points to take a 103-96 advantage with 4:50 remaining.
The Suns later pulled within 107-105 when Beal recorded a steal and drove for a layup with 1:02 left. Durant added two free throws to knot the score with 51.8 seconds to play prior to the dramatic finish.
Earlier, Ellis scored consecutive baskets to cap an 8-0 burst and give the Kings a 70-54 lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter.
Sacramento led 85-78 entering the final stanza.
Sabonis scored 16 points in the first half as the Kings led 54-45 at the break. Durant scored 18 in the half for the Suns.
–Field Level Media
