Kings hold on to crown Suns

Ron Artest scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Kings, who snapped a three-game skid. John Salmons chipped in 17 points with five boards and Francisco Garcia donated 13 and dished out five assists off the bench in the win.

Sacramento guard Kevin Martin left the game in the second quarter after getting poked in the eye while driving to the basket. The team said Martin had double vision and he did not return, finishing with just one point and five rebounds.

Leandro Barbosa posted 27 points and Amare Stoudemire had 23 with 11 rebounds for the Suns, who were denied their third straight victory. Steve Nash contributed 18 points with nine assists and Shawn Marion added 17 and grabbed eight boards in defeat.

The game was close in the early going with Sacramento holding a slim lead throughout, then finally breaking it open with a 9-0 run that bridged the first and second quarter for a 32-23 advantage with 10:10 left.

Phoenix, however, fired back with a 17-8 burst and tied the game at 40 on Marion’s layup. The Kings, though, scored six straight points — five from Bibby — and Salmons drained a jumper with 32 seconds remaining to go back up by nine.

Raja Bell’s turnaround jump shot capped the frame and cut the Suns’ deficit to 54-47 at the break.

Phoenix finally took the lead in the third on Boris Diaw’s hook shot to make it a 73-72 contest at the 2:03 mark. Bell then capped a 33-point frame with a jumper to put the Suns up 80-77.

Things turned around for Sacramento in the fourth as Bibby’s three-pointer sparked an 11-0 spurt, ended with a Salmons lay-in for an 88-82 edge.

Minutes later, Phoenix cut within one, 91-90 on Barbosa’s jumper, but Garcia drained two from the line and Bibby buried a trey to give the Kings a six- point lead with 3 1/2 minutes to play.

Then, with 1:36 left, Marion’s jump shot brought the Suns within 98-96, however, Bibby hit back-to-back triples to ice the game.

Game Notes

Sacramento finished 52 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from long range...Phoenix shot 46 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc...The Kings notched their first win against the Suns this season, snapping a five-game losing streak.