With a four-game winning streak, the Phoenix Suns paced themselves to first place in the Western Conference even without two usual starters, point guard Chris Paul and forward Cameron Johnson.
The Suns appeared to find a rhythm and reach a place they were at a year ago, dominating teams with their cohesion. It was a big reason why Phoenix ranked No. 2 in the NBA in scoring margin (plus-6.9) entering Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings and surged of late.
Phoenix had a big challenge against the Kings, who ranked second in the NBA in points per game (119.