The Phoenix Suns just won the best game of the year over the LA Clippers, but there was more than just Booker’s buzzer-beater to love.
Don’t look now, but the Phoenix Suns are only 1.5 games out of the coveted 9th spot in the Western Conference. With a little help and a handful of more wins, their chance of making the playoffs is no longer a pipe dream.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. On this day, they lept one team in the standings, the Sacramento Kings, after their heartbreaking loss in overtime to the Dallas Mavericks.
Of course, they didn’t just accomplish that feat because the Kings lost, the Suns won a game of their own, and they did it in style.
This game was a weird combination of the Suns being in control most of the game, yet perpetually on the cusp of coughing it up. There were stretches where Kawhi Leonard and Paul George got to the rim at will while Phoenix players were having to hit tough jump shots to prevent a Clippers’ spurt.
However, even with Leonard and George doing their thing (they had 27 points and 23 points, respectively), it was Devin Booker who hit a buzzer-beater over both of them to seal the victory and cement a replay that will live atop his career highlight reel for a long time.
While Booker and his 35-point, eight-rebound performance were the stars of the show, this was another team effort. These Suns are young, scrappy, and hungry and are not in the Disney bubble for the fishing and Spikeball. There are there to win, and thus far, they are doing it, as they are the only undefeated team within the confines of the happiest place on Earth.
Here are the seven best things about this win, in particular: