Booker’s late free throws help Suns past Trail Blazers
PHOENIX – Devin Booker wasn’t at his best Thursday night. Regardless, there was no question he was getting the ball with the game on the line.
Booker received the inbounds pass, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give the Phoenix Suns a 118-117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Booker scored 18 points on just 5-of-17 shooting, but coach Monty Williams put the game in his hands after Portland’s Robert Covington missed two free throws with 4.4 seconds left and the Trail Blazers up by one.
Booker got the ball off a screen and was fouled by Norman Powell. Two free throws later, the Suns had secured the win, which moved them within one game of the Utah Jazz for the No. 1 seed in the NBA and the Western Conference with two games remaining.
“It takes mental toughness, stamina, all the things we talk about to make a play in those moments after you haven’t shot it well,” Williams said. “It happens, but the great ones have a short memory. I think he knew I was going to come to him at that moment, either him or Chris Paul) and he produced.”
C.J. McCollum missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer for Portland.
Paul led Phoenix with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Mikal Bridges had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 41 points on 16-of-23 shooting for Portland, which had its five-game winning streak stopped. McCollum had 27 points. But Portland’s bench scored just 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Carmelo Anthony scored five points while shooting 1 of 7.
The Trail Blazers, who were playing the second of a back-to-back after beating Utah on Wednesday night, dropped into the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, a half-game back of Dallas with two games to play. /