Here’s What Damian Lillard Told DeAndre Ayton That Made Him Miss the Crucial Free-Throw Leading to Blazers Win
On Friday night, the Portland Trail Blazers held on to upset the Phoenix Suns, 113-111, in overtime. The biggest play of the evening wasn’t actually a play. Instead, with only 1.2 seconds left, Damian Lillard hit DeAndre Ayton in the head.
Jusuf Nurkic, a center for the Portland Trail Blazers, fouled DeAndre Ayton with 1.2 seconds left in overtime, sending the Phoenix Sun’s center to the foul line. Anfernee Simons’ powerful hook shot had just given the Blazers a two-point lead, but Ayton had a chance to force a second overtime.
Damian Lillard approached Ayton at the free-throw line and asked him a straightforward question. Lillard ended the game with 41 points.
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Damian Lillard reveals what he told DeAndre Ayton during Suns vs Blazers
Ayton struggled after scoring 26 points and recording a crucial block earlier in the night. His second try produced the same outcome as his first, which bricked off the rim.
"You think they trust you with the game on the line? Hell nah" pic.twitter.com/5LYiwFLoii
— ⌚️ (@BradenEscobedoP) October 22, 2022
“I just asked him, ‘have you ever been in this situation before?’ I wanted him to think about it a little bit,” Lillard said postgame. “And then when he ignored me, I felt like he was thinking about it.”
Damian Lillard on what he said to Deandre Ayton at the foul line at the end: "I just asked him, 'have you ever been in this situation before?' I wanted him to think about it a little bit. And then when he ignored me, I felt like he was thinking about it."
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) October 22, 2022
Ayton missed his second try at the line, giving the Suns their first loss of the year after converting 80% of his free throws in crucial situations the previous year. After the game, Devin Booker (33 points on 11 of 23 shooting) dismissed Ayton’s miss. Given that Ayton made his first free throw, it obviously worked.
The second intentional miss actually went to the Suns, who missed a shot at the buzzer, and the Blazers fans were happy to return home. Great game from a Blazers team that is strong early on at 2-0, and it’s great to see Dame Time back employing every strategy in the book to earn a victory.
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