The Phoenix Suns will not be hoisting the inaugural In-Season Tournament Cup after they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Lakers in a game that has become controversial for referee mistakes in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers were allowed to take a timeout after Devin Booker and Kevin Durant had forced Austin Reaves to lose possession of the ball in the final 12 seconds of the fourth quarter as the Suns trailed by two. Booker has shared his dissatisfaction with the call on Instagram.
If you look at the video, it’s clear that the referees missed the fact that neither team had possession of the ball. The Lakers should not have been given the timeout, and the Suns could have had a chance to recover their two-point deficit for a win.
The ball was DEFINITELY loose. I don't see how the referees grant a timeout here. pic.twitter.com/ZlaxGXpCx6
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) December 6, 2023
Booker had an overall poor performance, scoring just 21 points on inefficient shooting while consistently turning the ball over. He even had a backcourt and 24-second violation called on him during the game, clearly struggling to beat the Lakers’ defense.
He criticized the call further in his post-game comments.
“You know what happened, Duane. The whole world’s seen it. I just got off social media and it is what it is. Refs miss calls all the time sometimes, but when they’re that obvious, it’s tough.”
"The whole world seen it." 👀
-Devin Booker on Lakers timeout call https://t.co/5LUnMOMdlJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2023
The Suns had a chance to send the game to OT with a Kevin Durant three at the buzzer, but the Suns forward missed it. The call changed the game and stacked the deck against the Suns at the end, but they could’ve pulled off something magical to claw their way back into the game.
Can The Phoenix Suns Compete Atop The West Without Bradley Beal?
This was the third time the Lakers and Suns have matched up this season, with the Lakers coming out on top in each encounter. Kevin Durant has played all three games, while Booker has played two and Bradley Beal has played just one. No matter the combination, the Lakers have overcome the Suns.
We haven’t seen the Suns’ big three all get on the court together at the same time, which has been a massively limiting factor for the franchise given how reliant they are on their top-end talent to consistently win games. Since In-Season Tournament games are counted in the regular season, this loss dropped the Suns to seventh in the West.
The flaws of running Devin Booker at point guard against a rangy and athletic team like the Lakers were clear to see. He couldn’t be creative enough with his passes to make opportunities arise out of nowhere as top-tier point guards around the league can. Instead, he struggled to connect on passes and was frustrated by the aggressive defense the Lakers played on him.
They need Beal just because he’s another ball-handling option beyond Booker, as the Suns’ roster is pretty low on genuine guards. Booker is averaging 27.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.2 assists this season and is one of the best players in the league, but he’s been put in a position where he will have struggles like the kind he had today.
Kevin Durant is also operating at MVP-level play, averaging 31.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Hopefully, the Suns can figure out a way to get their roster healthy when Larry O’Brien is on the line, not the In-Season Tournament Cup.
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