Suns at Kings
The Phoenix Suns will try to extend their winning streak to a season-long five games when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Suns guard Eric Bledsoe should be feeling good after producing his second career triple-double in Tuesday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks. Sacramento has lost six of its last seven coming in and, even with last week’s return of leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins from 10-game absence due to illness, the Kings don’t look like the team that started 5-1.
Bledsoe’s starting backcourt mate, Goran Dragic, is averaging 19.7 points in 10 games this month, which is much more on par with last season, when he averaged more than 20 points in January, February and March to finish at a career-high 20.3. Another key to the recent success has been the play of backup guard Isaiah Thomas, who spent the last three seasons with the Kings. Thomas returned Dec. 12 from an eight-game absence due to a deep ankle bruise and is averaging 17.4 points in the last five games.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE SUNS (16-14): Two other good signs out of the Dallas victory were the 17 points scored by 7-1 starting center Alex Len and the 22 put up by reserve wing Gerald Green. Len, who averaged 8.6 minutes as a rookie last season, has played at least 20 in the last three games, a first for the No. 5 overall pick in 2013. Green shot 6-for-9 from 3-point range and is 12-for-23 during the winning streak.
ABOUT THE KINGS (12-16): Sacramento beat the Suns in double overtime back in November to push its record to 5-1, and Cousins had 25 points and 18 rebounds in that game, the seventh straight double-double he has posted against Phoenix. Sacramento also received some reinforcements to its bench as Omri Casspi returned Monday against the Golden State Warriors after a seven-game absence due to a left knee contusion. The forward had 16 points and eight rebounds against the Warriors.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Kings PG Darren Collison didn’t shoot lower than 83 percent from the free throw line his last two seasons at UCLA and his first five in the NBA but he’s down to 76.4 percent this season.
2. Sacramento SG Ben McLemore, who shot 37.6 percent from the floor as a rookie last season, is 22-for-36 in the last three games to inch his season percentage to 48.3.
3. Bledsoe and teammate Markieff Morris are tied for second in the NBA with six technical fouls apiece.