The words “turning point” in a basketball game can be a cliché at times, but when the Phoenix Suns took on the New York Knicks on Friday night, the perfect illustration of those words happened.
Julius Randle was boxing out Cam Johnson for a rebound in the third quarter. Randle took exception to Johnson pushing him in the back, and an altercation happened.
Both players received double technical fouls for the incident. However, when Randle shoved the referee to get at Johnson, he received yet another technical and was ejected. It couldn’t have been a worse time for the reigning Most Improved Player because he was on fire with 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in only 28 minutes.
At that point, the former Tar Heel went into a zone and did not come out. After Randle’s exit, his hot three-point shooting helped the Phoenix Suns erase a 86-76 New York lead.
Johnson went on to score a career-high 38 points, including a career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, to lead the Suns to a 115-114 victory over the Knicks and sent the Phoenix fans home in a frenzy with a 30 footer at the buzzer to win it.
CAM JOHNSON CALLED GAME WITH HIS 9TH THREE OF THE NIGHT. (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/RdQvzmcjeu
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 5, 2022
The shot was the last of six three-point attempts in the fourth quarter for Johnson to help power Phoenix to their League-best 51st victory of the season. They are currently on a two-game winning streak without their starting backcourt, Chris Paul (thumb fracture), and Devin Booker (NBA’s Health and Safety protocols).
Phoenix gets to face the Milwaukee Bucks next on the road Sunday.
