Fast-forward Through the Play-in Tournament

Luka Doncic went 6-for-7 in his first five minutes of the quarter, pouring in 16 points and dishing out three assists. He led a 23–9 run that blew the game wide open.

While Doncic was playing out of his mind, Booker slipped into a daze instead, drifting to the fringes of the action as though he had suddenly forgotten how to play basketball.

And he never found his rhythm again before the game ended.

Of course, that might also have had something to do with Carlisle's adjustment to the defensive strategy in the fourth quarter.

In any case, Doncic was the better star in the fourth quarter. With Booker lost out there, Ayton was the only player who stepped up for the Suns, barely keeping them afloat with his mid-range scoring.

Unfortunately, that level of production was only a drop in the bucket.

In the end, Ayton still could not help his team win the game.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Mavericks had secured a 118–111 victory in the play-in game.

Doncic finished with a near triple-double of 32 points, eight rebounds, and 12 assists, leading his team into the playoffs. Next, they would face the formidable New Orleans Pelicans in the first round.

For the Suns, Devin Booker's 29 points, six rebounds, and six assists went to waste in a disappointing loss.

Of course, his three-point fourth quarter was also a major reason they lost.

For the Suns tonight, Booker had been both their making and their undoing...

Now they would have to wait for a winner to emerge between the Timberwolves and the Jazz, then face that team to determine whether they could make this season's playoffs.

Almost as soon as the Suns–Mavericks game ended, the Hawks and the Orlando Magic tipped off over in the Eastern