The Suns keep their hopes alive of escaping the play-in. Frank Vogel’s team will reach the last day with options to catch up with the Pelicans thanks to its agonizing victory on the Kings’ court, for whom it has made life even more complicated by defeating them 107-108. The Californians, who not long ago were also fighting to qualify directly for the playoffs, will reach the last date in 9th position in the West, because with seven defeats in their last 10 games they are closing the regular league in a very poor state of form.
Throughout the night, however, it seemed that the conclusion would be different. Sacramento led by 16 points during the third quarter and, although the gap was narrowing, they always managed to contain the Suns from behind. Always… until the last minute came. Kevin Durant took charge from the free throw to tie the tie at 107-107 with 52 seconds remaining, and after De’Aaron Fox missed the shot that would have restored the lead to the home team, KD again assumed possession that ended worth the visiting victory. Although this was developed in an unorthodox way.
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Surrounded by defenders, the forward chose to bend the ball to Grayson Allen so that he could go for the winning triple, but he could not convert his shot. However, in the fight for the rebound, Domantas Sabonis ended up fouling Jusuf Nurkic, who missed the first shot from the personal line but did not do the same with the second, making it 107-108 that would end up being final.
Fox, again, tried to score the decisive basket for Mike Brown’s team, but Bradley Beal’s good defense prevented him from even shooting a basket and closed a vital victory for the Suns.
Beal was not only decisive in this last possession, but, with 12 of his 20 points in the last quarter, he was essential for the Arizona team to complete the comeback. The shooting guard finished third in scoring after Durant’s 28 points and Devin Booker’s 21, but he deserved enough to be the great protagonist when push came to shove.
In Sacramento, Sabonis led the team with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, followed closely by the 23 points scored by both Fox and Keegan Murray. Mike Brown, affected by the significant losses of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter and aware of the significance of the crash, shortened the rotation greatly and played throughout the night with only eight men, something that perhaps his team ended up paying for in the final stretch.
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An ending with many fronts
What happened this morning makes Sunday’s Pelicans-Lakers the clash to follow on the final day in the West, as both will arrive with a lot at stake precisely due to the impact of this match. New Orleans, due to Phoenix’s victory, is forced to win if it wants to secure sixth place and therefore the playoffs, while the Angelenos, thanks to the Kings’ stumble, will depend on themselves to finish in 8th position. This would improve their chances of reaching the playoffs through play-in, so it is likely that there will be a duel with a lot of postseason flavor given that, after all, it is more than a simple victory that is at stake. game.
(Cover photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
2024-04-13 07:00:00
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