Booker, Crowder ejected in final seconds of Suns’ loss to Lakers
May 27, 2021, 10:55 PM | Updated: May 28, 2021, 1:22 am
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, right, commits a flagrant foul on Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder, center, during the second half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. Booker was ejected after the play. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
With nearly 30 seconds remaining in Game 3, Devin Booker was ejected after a hard foul on the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dennis Schroder.
The Phoenix Suns guard appeared to push Schroder to the ground with both hands as the Lakers star was driving to the basket. Booker was tossed for a Flagrant 2.
Devin Booker was given a flagrant 2 and was ejected for this push of Dennis Schröder. pic.twitter.com/dJBseyJGkW
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2021
Booker’s frustrations were high as he struggled throughout the game, going 6-for-19 from the field with a team-high four turnovers.
Jae Crowder wasn’t happy about the ref’s call, getting into it with Schroder after Booker’s ejection. It then resulted in Crowder getting a technical and the forward also being ejected from the game.
In a postgame interview, Anthony Davis expressed his irritation over Booker’s move.
“Can’t happen,” he said. “Can’t do that. … It’s a dirty play. Dennis could have really got hurt there.”
"It's a dirty play."
Anthony Davis shared his thoughts on Devin Booker's hard foul on Schröder. pic.twitter.com/l7CyKehalL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2021
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It was an ugly finish to what was an ugly 109-95 loss for the Suns.
Head coach Monty Williams recognized it was a tense game for his team with emotions running high.
He said the Suns have discussed all season long how to hold their poise in difficult situations, but sometimes, especially in playoff basketball, it can be hard to manage.
“The way we’ve played, some of the press that we’ve gotten, when we play well, teams are going to try to get under our skin and we have to be able to weather that,” he said.
“And it’s tough at times when you feel like you’re being fouled or somebody’s doing something that you don’t think is right,” he added. “But we’ve shown that when we can stay steady with our poise and emotions, we can weather that. Tonight I don’t think we did it that well.”
The Suns will look to even the series on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. Tune to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station for all the action.
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