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Evans' 26 points lead Kings to preseason win

Oct 6, 2010 - 4:56 AM SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Tyreke Evans scored 26 points to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 109-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night in the teams' first preseason opener.

DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth overall pick in the draft after playing just one season at Kentucky, enjoyed a productive NBA debut, getting 16 points and 16 rebounds for Sacramento, which pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Jason Thompson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who outscored Phoenix 29-15 in the fourth quarter. Both Marcus Landry and Omri Casspi had 11 points.

Jason Richardson scored 17 points and Robin Lopez had 15 for Phoenix, which led by as many as 12 points in the first half. Jared Dudley scored 13 points and Hakim Warrick added 11.

There are some definite changes this year for the Suns, who are playing without Amare Stoudemire, last season's leading scorer who signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks. Gone also are key reserves Leandro Barbosa and Lou Amundson, who helped the Suns reach the Western Conference finals last season.

The Suns acquired Hedo Turkoglu in an offseason trade and added Josh Childress and Warrick to an already potent offensive lineup.

The Kings, who finished last in the Pacific Division with a 25-57 record, are again relying on youth. Cousins is projected to be the big presence the Kings have needed for years. Cousins and Evans, last year's Rookie of the Year, are expected to give the larger, more physical Kings a solid 1-2 offensive weapons, which was evident against the Suns.

It was an impressive first game for Cousins, who ended the first quarter with a driving finger roll at the buzzer. He was 8 of 13 from the field and helped the Kings to a 47-36 rebound advantage. The only downside for the rookie post players was picking up five fouls and committing five turnovers.

Suns point guard Steve Nash spent more time on conditioning, hopping on one foot and doing various stretching exercises during timeouts. He finished with two points and two assists in six minutes. Grant Hill, who turned 38 on Tuesday, also played sparingly, scoring two points in six first-quarter minutes.