PHOENIX - Channing Frye scored 29 points, Amare Stoudemire had 26, and the fast-moving Phoenix Suns overcame the losses of Steve Nash and Grant Hill to beat the Sacramento Kings 143-127 on Tuesday night in their final home pre-season game.
Nash left in the second half with an injured right ankle and Hill was ejected after getting two technical fouls for arguing with the officials.
The Suns, who broke open the game with a 42-point third quarter, hit a remarkable 51 of 56 free throws in the foul-plagued game. Thirty-six personals were called against the Kings, and starters Kevin Martin and Jason Thompson fouled out
Frye, the Suns' new starting centre following the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland, scored 16 points in the third, including making all three three-point attempts. Stoudemire had 12 points in the period when the Suns went from a one-point halftime deficit to a 109-94 lead. Stoudemire finished 17 of 21 from the free-throw line.
Goran Dragic, who filled in for Nash, added 21 points for the Suns, while Leandro Barbosa had 16, and Hill and Victoria native Nash 13 each.
Omri Casspi led Sacramento with 22 points, Tyreke Evans had 21, Martin 20, Thompson 15 and Spencer Hawes and Sean May 14 each.
With the regular season still about a week away, both teams already looked in mid-season form in the fast-paced first half. The shooting was on target, the passing crisp and both coaches played the game like it was the regular season.
Casspi, trying to become the first Israeli player to make an NBA roster, launched a desperation 34-foot bank shot just before the halftime buzzer, his third three-pointer of the second quarter, giving the Kings a 68-67 lead.
Evans, the fourth overall pick in the June draft who had scored in double figures in each of the Kings' first four games, topped Sacramento with 15 points at the half. May, who had not scored more than four points in the earlier exhibitions, had 10 points.
NOTES: Kings F-G Francisco Garcia is out at least 4 months after surgery on his broken right forearm and ligament damage in his wrist following a weightlifting accident Oct. 9. ... Sacramento finishes its exhibition schedule at Oklahoma City on Thursday night and at home against Utah on Friday. ... The Suns complete the pre-season Thursday night against Portland at Vancouver. ... Dragic had missed 13 consecutive field goals over three games before making a layup early in the second quarter.
