Playoff picture shifts — Booker miss
The Suns dropped a 125-123 game after Devin Booker missed a clean buzzer look — a loss that complicates Phoenix's late-season seeding push as the West tightens. With under a month left and pivotal matchups like Nuggets vs. Suns looming, every result now swings home-court math and playoff odds. (x.com) (cbssports.com) (espn.com)
Nikola Jokić produced a 23-point, 17-rebound, 17-assist triple-double and converted the go-ahead bucket with 11.5 seconds remaining to put Denver ahead late in Phoenix. (espn.co.uk) Jamal Murray finished with 21 points and Aaron Gordon added 16 for the Nuggets, while Devin Booker logged 22 points, 8 assists and went 5-of-14 from the field with an 11-of-13 mark at the line. (basketball.realgm.com) Denver dominated the glass 50–41 and forced 10 Phoenix turnovers compared with Phoenix’s 3, while Denver shot 51.0% from the floor to Phoenix’s 44.0% as reflected in the official box score. (espn.com) The result moved Denver to 44–28 on the season and left Phoenix with a 40–33 mark, tightening the Western race as teams jockey for positioning down the stretch. (espn.com) Phoenix’s next five games after the matchup include a home date with Utah on March 28, followed by road games at Memphis (March 30), Orlando (March 31), Charlotte (April 2) and Chicago (April 5). (sportsdata.usatoday.com) The game was played at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center before an announced crowd of 17,071. (basketball.realgm.com)
