Devin Booker drove the lane, picked up his dribble and found Jalen Green on the final possession Tuesday night. Green’s shot missed, and the Phoenix Suns fell 114-110 to the Portland Trail Blazers at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Green had already carried Phoenix with 35 points, but the final chance did not drop. With 16.1 seconds left, the Suns got one more look after Booker made the pass, and Green said the thought was to get the best shot while trying to win it in one possession.
Jordan Ott said Booker made the right play and said Phoenix got a pretty good look. The miss ended a night in which the Suns could not finish after leading 105-97 with less than four minutes left and scoring only one more field goal the rest of the way.
The loss pushed Portland into the Western Conference’s seventh seed and sends the Trail Blazers to face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Deni Avdija led Portland with 41 points and 12 assists, a line that helped turn a close game into a result that took the playoff bracket shape with it.
Phoenix, which was not expected to get this far, will host the winner of Wednesday’s Play-In matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers on Friday night. Booker had 22 points, but he also missed five free throws and finished 8 of 13 at the line, a gap that mattered as the Suns let a late lead slip away.
Green said after the game that the team might have used a little more time before going to the shot, but the intention was clear. Phoenix had the ball, had the chance and had one clean look at the end. It just did not go in.
