SACRAMENTO -- It wasn’t always pretty, but the Kings moved one step closer to the .500 mark Tuesday evening with a 120-116 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Sacramento led by as many as 26 in the third quarter, but the Suns kept playing hard and made it a game, cutting the Kings’ lead to just three points in the final minute of the fourth.
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Devin Booker led Phoenix with 30 points and eight assists. Mikal Bridges and Kelly Oubre each dropped in 20, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early deficit.
Here are three takeaways as the Kings continued their hot streak to improve to 6-7 on the season.
King of the Day
NBC Sports California mic’d up Bogdan Bogdanovic before the game as part of the "King of the Day" celebration. Once the contest tipped off, Bogdanovic let his game speak for him.
NBA
The third-year guard caught fire from long range in the final 6:15 of the second quarter for 16 of his career-high 31 points.
In addition to the hot shooting, Bogdanovic added seven assists, four rebounds and two steals as the Kings survived a late run by the Suns.
Over his last six games, Bogdanovic is averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 26-for-46 (56.5 percent) from 3-point range.
[RELATED: How Kings' Serbian connections help make Bogi feel at home]
Bogdanovic left the game late with an apparent injury and watched the end from the bench.
Bring it Holmes
Richaun Holmes looked extremely comfortable against his former Phoenix teammates Tuesday evening at Golden 1 Center.
With DeAndre Ayton and Aron Baynes sidelined, the Kings attacked the soft middle of the Suns' defense for 20 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.
Whatever led the Suns to move on from Holmes is fine by the Kings. The 26-year-old big has been a breath of fresh air for Sacramento and a dynamic force in the middle.
Rollin’
After an abysmal 0-5 start to the season, the Kings have won two straight and six of their last eight to move to within a game of .500.
A big reason for the improvement is on the defensive end, as the Suns were made well aware on Tuesday. Phoenix shot just 42.7 percent from the field, including a rough 12-for-36 shooting from long range.