The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns are two veteran teams with dreams of competing late in the Western Conference Playoffs this season. While there’s a lot of basketball to play before then, Tuesday night’s matchup in the NBA in-season tournament quarterfinals offered a glimpse of single-elimination basketball with a playoff atmosphere pumping through LA.
Lakers gifted clutch timeout by refs to screw Suns in NBA in-season tournament
The refs gave the Lakers a timeout during a loose ball to preserve their win over the Suns in the in-season tournament.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The Lakers beat the Suns, 106-103, to advance to the final four of the in-season tournament. Los Angeles locked down the victory thanks to a controversial decision from the refs to award the Lakers a timeout when it appeared they didn’t have the ball.
With under 10 seconds left in the game, the Lakers inbounded the ball to Austin Reaves. When Suns guard Devin Booker made light contact with Reaves from behind, the Lakers guard bobbled the ball, and Suns forward Kevin Durant rushed in to grab it. Just as the ball trickled out, the refs gave the Lakers a timeout. After a closer look, it seems obvious the Lakers didn’t have possession of the ball when the refs gave them a timeout. Watch the play here:
The Suns did get one last chance after Anthony Davis missed the second of his free throws on the ensuing possession, but Kevin Durant’s last-second shot fell short. The Lakers now face the New Orleans Pelicans for the right to play in the NBA in-season tournament championship game. The Milwaukee Bucks face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference final. Follow the in-season tournament with our living post here.
The Suns sure seemed to force the late turnover they needed to have a chance to tie or take the lead just before the clock expired. Unfortunately for them, the refs gave LA a timeout. Social media couldn’t believe it. Everyone agreed the Suns got screwed.
Even Tyrese Haliburton, whose Pacers are in the final four of the in-season tournament thanks to his electric play, thought the call was, uh, questionable.
Devin Booker immediately posted a screenshot of the play to Instagram after the game:
The Lakers are going to Las Vegas for the final four. The refs get the assist.
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