[Saba Sports News] Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker expressed strong frustration on Instagram regarding the questionable timeout call in the Lakers’ recent victory during the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. The Lakers edged out a win with a 106-103 score against the Suns at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, progressing to the semifinals in Las Vegas.
With only 11.2 seconds remaining and the Suns down 105-103, they seemed poised to level the score during a backcourt trap on Lakers guard Austin Reaves. However, LeBron James managed to call a timeout for the Lakers, even though Reaves appeared to have already lost the ball.
This controversial timeout played a crucial role in the Lakers’ ability to keep the lead. Post-game, Booker shared an Instagram post highlighting the moment, showing the ball away from Reaves as James signaled for a timeout. He included a thoughtful emoji but no caption.
“You know what happened, Duane. … The whole world seen it. I just got off social media and other players around the league have seen it. … Refs miss calls sometimes but when they’re that obvious, it’s tough,” said Booker.
Booker also voiced his discontent during the postgame press conference, cutting off reporter Duane Rankin to discuss the contentious call. He noted the clarity of the missed call and shared his frustration about such obvious mistakes by referees, referencing the reaction from others in the league seen on social media.