The Phoenix Suns will go into the final day of the 2023-24 regular season with a chance to avoid the play-in tournament thanks in large part to Bradley Beal.
In a game where a loss would’ve cinched Phoenix’s play-in fate, Brad wasn’t having it, and at the end of a night that saw his impact felt all over the court, it was No. 3’s active hands defending De’Aaron Fox that poked the ball away so the Suns could steal a heart-pounding 108-107 victory.
The steal capped a wild closing stretch.
A 9-3 run from the seven-minute mark gave Sacramento a seven-point lead with under five minutes to play. However, the Kings scored just four points the rest of the game. Brad himself had five points in the final five minutes, including a three-point play that started the ball rolling. He scored again with just over a minute to go to pull the Suns within two.
After a miss by Fox, Kevin Durant got to the line to tie it. Fox then missed again and Jusuf Nurkic got the rebound, then drew a foul on the other end with eight ticks to go. However, he made just one of two, leaving the door wide open for the Kings.
The Suns had a foul to give and Brad took it on Fox with six seconds left, forcing Sacramento to reset. They got the ball to Fox again and he attempted to drive for the win. But that’s where Beal’s active hands came in, sealing the deal with a poke ahead to Royce O’Neal who dribbled out the clock for a Phoenix win.
Brad finished the contest with 20 points on an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. He added nine rebounds, four assists, a block and two steals including the game-winner.
The Suns will need some help on the final day of the regular season to leap into the Top-6 in the West and avoid the play-in, but they’ve given themselves a chance. Now they need to win beat the Timberwolves on Sunday and for the Pelicans to lose to the Lakers. Both games tip-off at 12:30 p.m. CT so Phoenix will not know its fate before taking the floor in Minnesota. You can catch that game on America’s Family Sports TV.
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