After a surge from the bench helped the Kings win their first preseason game, it was the starting unit that jolted the offense into gear early in its second contest.
Rudy Gay came out of the gates on fire, knocking down all four of his three-point attempts and finishing with 14 points in the first quarter alone. His night would end after the third quarter, but not before he put up 30 points on 7-for-8 from beyond the arc.
However the Kings were unable to hold off the Suns who took a 98-96 lead on a turnaround bank shot by former Kings guard Ronnie Price. Phoenix would go on to win following Darren Collison miss on a potential go-ahead three with under five seconds to play.
DeMarcus Cousins finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Other contributors included Marco Belinelli (12 points) and Collison (11 points and five assists).
Making their preseason debuts for the Kings were Caron Butler and Eric Moreland, both of whom saw some extended minutes (22 and 16 respectively) after not entering the first game against Portland.
The Kings will have a quick turnaround and host their first game of the preseason against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The game tips-off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on CSNCA and Sports 1140 KHTK.
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