Tag: DeAndre Ayton

Fan’s video showed a stunned Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon after Deandre Ayton’s dunk

Wait for it …

The Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference Finals matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers after one of the more brilliantly executed out-of-bounds plays you’ll see in an NBA postseason game.

With .9 seconds remaining and down a point, the Suns’ Jae Crowder lobbed a perfect inbounds to Deandre Ayton who finished with the game-winning alley-oop dunk.

As the entire crowd at Phoenix Suns Arena went nuts over the dunk, one fan in the stands captured the absolutely stunned reactions from ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon — both were watching the final moments from the ESPN set near the stands.

Awesome.

You really have to appreciate that kind of cinematography for a fan-shot video. They clearly couldn’t believe what they just saw. What a play, though.

The Suns will look to take a 3-0 lead on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

[mm-video type=video id=01f8wq4bq2evcktw3phn playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f8wq4bq2evcktw3phn/01f8wq4bq2evcktw3phn-b318b33cfe672977cc5992fa8e09fa90.jpg]

Every angle of Deandre Ayton’s incredible buzzer-beating alley-oop finish

What an unbelievable play.

I don’t think you can end a game in a more spectacular fashion.

There was literally less than a second left when Jae Crowder threw the game-winning alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton and what a pass it was.

The angle was tough. DeMarcus Cousins was standing there staring him in the face with his arms waving. Crowder had to throw it to the precise spot to give Ayton an actual chance to get the ball and finish over the defense. Not to mention Ivica Zubac was running with him stride for stride until he got crushed by a screen from Devin Booker (!!!!!).

This play was just incredible — probably the best one of the playoffs so far. So let’s do it justice and take a look at it from every possible angle.

Starting here.

Cam Payne scores career-high in crazy Suns win over Clippers

Former Thunder guard Cam Payne had a career game in the Suns’ win over the Clippers, but Paul George’s free throw struggles cost LA dearly.

The game will rightfully be remembered for Deandre Ayton’s winning alley-oop on an inbounds play with 0.7 seconds left, but the Phoenix Suns had contributors from all around the rotation in the Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Perhaps no player was bigger than guard Cam Payne, a former Oklahoma City Thunder player who started in place of Chris Paul, in COVID-19 protocols for the second game in a row.

Payne scored a career-high and game-best 29 points on 12-for-24 shooting, helping lead the Suns with Paul out and guard Devin Booker struggling to break free of the immense pressure from the Los Angeles defense.

Payne had 16 points in the first half to give the Suns a one-point lead at the break and then scored 13 in the final two quarters. He also had nine assists, two steals and two blocks in the game.

Booker scored 20 points on just 5-for-16 shooting, and had to come out to receive stitches after his and Patrick Beverley’s heads collided during a play.

But Booker shined through when it mattered, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead shot with 27 seconds to play.

Former Clippers wing Paul George immediately answered, hitting a jumper less than five seconds later to retake the lead.

Beverley forced a turnover on Booker on the next play. Beverley batted the ball out of bounds, but Booker’s hand was touching the ball on his dribble down after Beverley swatted at it, so it was out on Booker.

At this point, the Clippers led by a point with less than 10 seconds to play. George received the inbounds pass and was fouled.

However, George missed both free throws. He finished the game with 26 points but made only five of his 10 free throw attempts, more misses than he has had from the line in any one game since he played for the Indiana Pacers.

After an errant 3-point shot by Mikal Bridges was tipped out of bounds by Terance Mann, who was fighting for the board, Ayton won the game with an alley-oop off an inbounds pass from Jae Crowder.

The Suns took a 2-0 series lead, and now Paul could return for Game 3. If he can, the former Thunder star will try to take a 3-0 lead and get within a game of his first NBA Finals.

[lawrence-related id=445690,445649]

Lonzo, LaMelo Ball react to DeAndre Ayton’s game-winning alley-oop vs. Clippers

DeAndre Ayton’s remarkable game-winning alley-oops against the Clippers on Tuesday drew reactions on Twitter from Lonzo and LaMelo Ball

The Phoenix Suns had one of the highlights of the playoffs, no small feat in a memorable postseason, on Tuesday night. Down one point with nine-tenths of a second left, DeAndre Ayton caught an alley-oop on an inbounds pass from Jae Crowder and dunked the ball home to give the Suns a 104-103 win.

The play punctuated a wild, wild ending to the final two minutes of the game. Paul George and Devin Booker each knocked down big jumpers with George adding a go-ahead layup preceding it as well. Booker would turn the ball over late but Geoge responded with two missed free throws. A missed 3-pointer in the corner from Mikal Bridges bounced out of bounds off a Clippers, setting up the final play.

The wild ending brought tons of reactions on social media, including from both LaMelo and Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo is referencing the legendary shot from Derek Fisher in the 2003 NBA Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs when he knocked down a jumper with four-tenths of a second left.

This has been an amazing postseason with many memorable moments eliciting reactions from many, including Kevin Durant’s Game 7 shot vs. the Bucks.

Deandre Ayton shared the cool note that Nikola Jokic wrote for him on a signed jersey

Great gesture.

It’s been four days since the Phoenix Suns completed their Western Conference second-round sweep of the Denver Nuggets, and the Suns are still waiting on their next opponent and the health status of Chris Paul.

But in the meantime, Suns big man Deandre Ayton has the opportunity to make a nice addition to a jersey collection at his home.

Ayton put together an impressive series against Denver, averaging 14.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in the four games. He also did an admirable job containing the newly named MVP Nikola Jokic. And despite leaving Game 4 after a flagrant 2 ejection, it looks like Jokic made a point to send a jersey Ayton’s way.

The Suns center took to Twitter on Thursday and shared a photo of the signed jersey from Jokic.

The Nuggets star wrote:

“To my brother DA, U are beast!!! Keep up the good work!!!”

That’s pretty cool to see from Jokic, especially considering how that series ended for him.

Ayton has had his ups and downs in Phoenix, but it’s clear that he’s earned the respect of one of the league’s best centers. That should go a long way.

[mm-video type=video id=01f7y45hjn8bbq97f8ks playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f7y45hjn8bbq97f8ks/01f7y45hjn8bbq97f8ks-ac060b12d0b88f998e1d96764c6f55e4.jpg]

Playoffs hits and bombs: Deandre Ayton, Josh Richardson and more

HoopsHype breaks down four players who have been hits these playoffs and four who have been bombs, including Deandre Ayton.

As the playoffs continue, so too do various of the NBA’s top players – both stars and complementary pieces – continue either rising to the occasion or faltering when the light is shone in their direction.

Below, check out four players who have stepped up and four who have not, at least so far.

Is DeAndre Ayton emerging into one of the NBA’s best big men?

Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin break down DeAndre Ayton development into one of the most efficient post players in the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin break down DeAndre Ayton development into one of the most efficient post players in the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Seven breakout candidates for the NBA playoffs

HoopsHype breaks down seven young players we believe could be set for a breakout in the 2020-21 NBA playoffs.

The NBA playoffs are not just a place where stars perform at peak efficiency. They are also a platform for lesser-known players to break out of their shells and introduce themselves to national audiences, sometimes giving their teams huge, albeit somewhat unexpected boosts.

A great example of that came in 2002-03, when a rookie-year Tayshaun Prince, who had been in and out of the rotation his entire inaugural campaign, only seeing action in 42 games for the loaded Detroit Pistons, had a 20-point outburst out of nowhere in Game 7 of the team’s opening series, one that helped spring Detroit to the next round of the playoffs and complete a 3-1 comeback against Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic.

Prince’s scoring average that entire previous regular season? 3.3 points per contest.

That was a breakout performance for a player who’d go on to win a championship, make four All-Defensive Teams and even take home Olympic gold with Team USA.

A more recent example would be Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, who, in his first postseason, put up a 19.2/6.3/4.8 stat line in the Eastern Conference Finals while shooting over 52 percent from the floor, giving Miami the boost they needed to complete their surprising run to the 2020 Finals.

There are various breakout candidates this year, too; we are here to present seven young players we believe could be surprising catalysts for their squads ahead of the 2020-21 NBA playoffs.

Check it out below.

Note: A few of the players below, primarily those that play for the Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and even, potentially, the Los Angeles Lakers, will have to get through the play-in tournament before they reach the playoffs. These breakout predictions are based on them making it through that round and reaching the actual playoffs.

Kevin Porter Jr. bounces back as Rockets threaten Devin Booker, Suns

Houston still lost the game, but they put up quite a fight at home versus a squad with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

The Phoenix Suns have the second-best record in the Western Conference and entered Monday’s game at Toyota Center coming off two days of rest. By contrast, the Houston Rockets have the second-worst mark in the West and had played the night before.

Nonetheless, the weary Rockets (13-37) showed some impressive fight against the heavily favored Suns (35-14). While Phoenix still won the game, 133-130 (box score), the rebuilding Rockets were extremely competitive and hung within one possession into the final seconds.

Second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. led the way for the Rockets with 20 points (50% FG), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and just three turnovers. A night earlier, Porter had one of his worst games of the 2020-21 season, scoring 12 points (33.3% FG) while turning the ball over eight times.

After Sunday’s loss, Porter tweeted that he had to improve, and the 20-year-old delivered on that promise less than 24 hours later.

Beyond Porter, rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate tallied 18 points (58.3% FG), 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, while frontcourt starters Christian Wood and Kelly Olynyk added 22 and 21 points, respectively. Off the bench, Sterling Brown and rookie forward KJ Martin scored 16 and 13, respectively, and the Rockets went +10 and +11 during their time on the floor.

The Suns were led by 36 points and 6 assists from All-Star guard Devin Booker, while big man DeAndre Ayton added 27 points. Ayton’s 11 rebounds were far superior to his counterparts on the Rockets, namely Wood (3) and Olynyk (4). Former Rockets star Chris Paul scored 19 points and dished out a game-high 11 assists, while Mikal Bridges added 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range (66.7%).

All in all, it was arguably a best-case scenario for Houston. For a team that clearly isn’t headed to the 2021 playoffs, they boosted their odds of gaining a high draft pick by losing another game. Yet, there were clear signs of progress shown versus one of the NBA’s best teams — and most notably, by key young building blocks such as Porter, Tate, and Martin.

See below for a compilation of highlights and postgame reaction. Houston returns to play Wednesday when the in-state rival Dallas Mavericks visit Toyota Center, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central.

[lawrence-related id=46973,47363]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM_gdJd8TLk

Lakers-Suns recap: Booker and Ayton each with 26 in Phoenix win

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second straight game without LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Sunday night.

After losing LeBron James for an indefinite period of time with a high ankle sprain, on top of being without Anthony Davis for the past month, things were bound to be difficult the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. While the Lakers had a couple of strong performances on the squad without their two stars, it was not enough to withstand two very good nights from Phoenix’s duo of DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker on Sunday.

Ayton and Booker each had 26 points, while the other three Phoenix starters all scored in double-figures in a 111-94 victory over the Lakers. Montrezl Harrell led the Lakers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Dennis Schröder scored 22 points for the Lakers.

The Lakers have just one more game on their very short two-game road, but they will go to New Orleans to face a Pelicans team coming off of a strong win of their own on Sunday night at Denver.