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PHOENIX — Damion Lee understands the final possession etiqutte in an NBA game, so the Phoenix Suns new role player passed the ball to Devin Booker with about 15 seconds left, expecting the All-Star guard to take the final shot. Booker passed it right back to Lee. The 6-foot-5 Lee rewarded Booker's confidence by hitting a difficult jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie with 9.7 seconds left, lifting the Suns to a 107-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night after they trailed by 22 points early in the third quarter. I got double-teamed, so I made the right play, Booker said grinning. I trust my teammates, I trust everybody out there. It's something we've scouted and we've schemed. Teams are going to throw different defenses at me. Booker finished with a team-high 28 points. Lee scored all of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Lee — who signed with the Suns in the offseason after four seasons with Golden State — hit three important 3-pointers in the fourth, but saved the best for the final seconds. Ball was in my hands, just go make a play, Lee said. “I know people are giving me the credit with the game-winning shot, but this was a total team effort.
It was the first game for the Suns since their stunning 123-90 home loss to the Mavs in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. The top-seeded Suns had won 64 games during the regular season, which set a franchise record. Despite that disappointment, GM James Jones opted to keep most of the nucleus, signing Booker and Ayton to lucrative long-term deals. The Mavericks — which lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference finals after beating the Suns — also have a similar roster, though they lost Jalen Brunson to the Knicks in free agency.
MCGEE'S BACK
JaVale McGee was back in Phoenix on Wednesday, but he had switched sides from the Suns to the Mavericks. The 7-foot McGee started for the Mavericks, finishing with three points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. He was a vital part of the Suns' bench last season, averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
SARIC, TOO
Suns forward Dario Saric played in his first game since suffering a torn ACL in the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in 2021. He missed all of last season. Saric — who checked in early in the second quarter to loud cheers — averaged 8.7 points per game during the 2020-21 season.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: F Davis Bertans (right knee) and G Frank Ntilikina (right ankle) weren't available to play. G Facundo Campazzo was on the inactive list. Suns: G Landry Shamet (left hip strain) and F Jae Crowder (not with team) weren't available to play. Crowder and the Suns mutually agreed that the forward would stay away from the team while the front office looked for a trade. ... C Deandre Ayton played just seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Memphis on Saturday night.
Suns: At Portland on Friday night.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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