The reigning Clutch Player of the Year had a chance to lock up a win and a likely 7-8 play-in game for the Sacramento Kings. Instead, Devin Booker locked him up to steal a win.
FOR. THE. WIN.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 13, 2024
GOT THE DEFENSIVE STOP pic.twitter.com/9ZrRXFIBd8
Booker and Bradley Beal aren't known for their defense, but they converged on Kings guard De'Aaron Fox and knocked the ball away as Phoenix escaped with a 108-107 win over Sacramento. The win puts them all alone in seventh place, guaranteed to at least host the 7-8 play-in game.
The Kings had a four-point lead with just over a minute to go and managed to get three offensive rebounds in one possession with a chance to pull well ahead.
But Beal stole the ball from the Kings' Domantas Sabonis and turned it into an immediate bucket, making it a two-point game. After Fox missed, Sabonis fouled Kevin Durant on the rebound, who tied the game at the line. Another Fox miss and another Sabonis foul let Jusuf Nurkic hit a go-ahead free throw.
The game showed just how tight the Pacific Division has been this season. Barring the Suns jumping up to sixth place, the play-in tournament will be all Pacific teams, with the most likely matchups being the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Suns and the Golden State Warriors traveling to Sacramento for the 9-10 game.
Without Beal's clutch defense, it could have been very different. The Kings would hold the tiebreaker over Phoenix. The Lakers already had the tiebreaker over the Suns. They were one steal away from a disastrous outcome. Thanks to Beal and Booker, they might even get a whole week off.
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