Last night, during the final possession against the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox found himself with the ball and a chance to secure victory with his team down by one.
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However, Bradley Beal managed to strip the ball from Fox, leading to the Suns’ 108-107 win and clinching a top-7 seed in the Western Conference. This loss dropped Sacramento from the No. 8 seed to the No. 9 seed in the play-in standings, marking their fifth loss in six games with only one game remaining for each team.
“I got fouled, wasn’t even close to the ball,” expressed Fox, who scored 23 points in the game. “You can go watch it, (Beal) very clearly got me. When it’s me, they always say, ‘I didn’t see it’ or ‘marginal contact.’ It doesn’t matter what the play was, if I got fouled, I got fouled. I’m trying to pick up the ball, hits my whole arm, they get the steal.”
Kings coach Mike Brown echoed Fox’s sentiment, expressing bewilderment at the lack of a call by NBA officials during crucial moments.
Despite the disputed call, the win against the Kings was significant for the Suns, especially for Beal, who contributed 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and was enthusiastic about the team’s performance.
The game saw Beal replicate a play against Fox, which he remembered from a previous encounter when he was with the Washington Wizards.
The Suns’ strategy focused on defending Fox in the final moments, with coach Frank Vogel acknowledging Fox’s reputation for clutch performances.
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While Beal’s stellar performance and free throws sealed the win for the Suns, the Kings struggled in the fourth quarter, shooting only 35%. With the loss, Sacramento faces a challenging path to secure a spot in the first round of the play-in.
As for the Suns, they have an opportunity to move out of the play-in and secure the No. 6 seed if certain outcomes favor them in the final games of the regular season.
Sacramento will conclude its season against the Portland Trail Blazers, while the Suns will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last regular-season game.
