Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was seething Tuesday over the controversial Los Angeles Lakers timeout that shaped the last game of the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.
The Lakers survived a late scare to win 106-103 against the Suns at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The Purple & Gold advanced to the semifinal round to be held in Las Vegas later this week.
The Suns, who were trailing 105-103 with 11.2 seconds left, appeared to have a golden opportunity to tie the game thanks to a backcourt trap against Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
However, LeBron James was able to call a timeout for the home team despite Reaves seemingly losing possession of the ball when the timeout was granted (video here).
The wrongful timeout helped the Lakers maintain control of the game.
Suns All-Star Devin Booker posted about the incident on Instagram after the game. The snapshot he uploaded showed the ball well beyond Reaves’ reach as James motioned for a timeout. The Suns guard didn’t add any written caption, but did include a thinking emoji.
Devin Booker’s IG story, presented without comment: pic.twitter.com/2o9VIPgTKg
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 6, 2023
Booker also let his frustrations out during his postgame press conference. Booker interrupted Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic mid-question in order to address the elephant in the room.
“You know what happened, Duane. … The whole world seen it. I just got off social media and other players around the league have seen it. … Refs miss calls sometimes but when they’re that obvious, it’s tough,” said Booker.
"The whole world seen it." 👀
-Devin Booker on Lakers timeout call pic.twitter.com/5LUnMOMdlJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2023
Booker ended the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.
