The Miami Heat earned a big win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday at home, but the game seemingly left Suns star Devin Booker feeling like Phoenix didn’t get a fair whistle.
Miami attempted 25 free throws in the game, and Phoenix attempted just four. That’s obviously a huge disparity, and Booker spoke about it after the contest.
"You tell me."
Devin Booker when I replied with a question of respect regarding FTs. #Suns pic.twitter.com/ooBB865LCw
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 15, 2022
“I have no comment on the situation,” Booker said after being asked about the disparity in free throws. “I’ve never been a part of a game like that.”
Booker continued.
“Just gotta keep playing ’til we get the respect,” he said regarding the idea that calls haven’t been going Phoenix’s way for a while now. “I don’t know what we can do.”
He added more.
“You tell me,” Booker said after a reporter asked whether the Suns should have already earned respect by now.
So far this season, the Suns have averaged just 20.4 free-throw attempts per contest. That’s the third-lowest mark in the NBA.
The league average is 23.4 attempts per contest, and the team leading the category is averaging 29.2 attempts per contest (the Detroit Pistons).
Since the Suns haven’t been going to the foul line very often this season, it’s not surprising that Booker is frustrated with the situation. Phoenix is surely hoping that the trend will come to an end in the near future.
As for the Heat, their win over the Suns was a big one. The victory extended Miami’s win streak to three and got the team to .500 for the first time since it was 0-0. The Heat are now 7-7 on the season.
After a slow start to the campaign, Miami seems to be building some momentum. Now, the Heat will see if they can keep things rolling away from home.
The squad is about to begin a four-game road trip that features games against some solid opponents. Miami will face the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves during the trip.
All of those teams have winning records except for the Timberwolves, who are talented enough to give the Heat a hard time. It’s going to be a tough four-game stretch for Miami.
However, if the Heat can take care of business during the road trip, the team will have a very good chance at moving up in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors, Wizards and Cavs are all ahead of the Heat by very slim margins in the standings, and Miami now has a chance to do some head-to-head damage.
