The Phoenix Suns were down to their last possession against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, but they made it count. After Grayson Allen drove to the right, taking the Lakers’ Luka Dončić with him, Allen kicked the ball out to the left. Guard Collin Gillespie passed it to Royce O’Neale, who drained a 3-pointer with less than a second left.
And with that, the Suns claimed a 113-110 win over the Lakers. The victory sent the NBA world into a frenzy, even with people noting that Dončić might not have been needed on the court at that time.
NBA World Goes Wild Over Suns’ Late Victory Over Lakers
The NBA’s account on X had a great clip showing how the game-winning play, well, played out. Allen’s kick-out pass, which then gets passed to O’Neale, is shown in great detail. “ROYCE O’NEALE HITS THE GO-AHEAD 3 TO WIN IT FOR THE SUNS … HE SCORED THE LAST 7 POINTS FOR PHOENIX!” the account posted.
ROYCE O’NEALE HITS THE GO-AHEAD 3 TO WIN IT FOR THE SUNS 🚨
HE SCORED THE LAST 7 POINTS FOR PHOENIX! pic.twitter.com/jWFOMMXLiq
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2026
Daniel Starkand, managing editor for Lakers Nation, wasn’t thrilled about seeing Dončić on the floor that late in the fourth quarter. Starkand posted on X, “Zero reason for Luka to be on the floor this possession.”
Stephen PridGeon-Garner, who hosts a podcast focused on the Suns, talked about Allen’s play in a post on X.
PridGeon-Garner wrote, “I’ve tapped the sign on the Grayson Allen drives being not just really good but impactful for the Suns, as well as his decisions off them, all season. Gets the Doncic switch, gets the paint touch & the correct decisions made from there & it +1’s to Royce O’Neale for what seals it.”
Ryan Blackburn, who writes about the Denver Nuggets for Mile High Sports, had an interesting comment on Gillespie’s play. Blackburn posted on X, “Lakers getting absolutely MF’ed by Collin Gillespie in the 4th quarter.”
Dave McMenamin, who covers the NBA for ESPN, shared a video of how the Lakers tried to tie the game. McMenamin posted on X, “The Lakers run a great sidelines out of bounds set to get Austin Reaves a look to tie it at the buzzer, but he can’t get it to go. The undermanned Suns win, 113-110.”
The Lakers run a great sidelines out of bounds set to get Austin Reaves a look to tie it at the buzzer, but he can’t get it to go.
The undermanned Suns win, 113-110. pic.twitter.com/7yvSphV8Kh
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 27, 2026
Suns After Dark, a Patreon site run by Gerald Bourguet, pointed out that the Suns almost ditched Allen and O’Neale at one point.
Bourguet posted on the Suns After Dark account on X, “Just a reminder that heading into the season, most people expected the Suns to trade vets like Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen. Instead, they’re closing out tight wins over the Lakers, all with Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out injured. Incredible stuff.”
Just a reminder that heading into the season, most people expected the Suns to trade vets like Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen.
Instead, they’re closing out tight wins over the Lakers, all with Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out injured. Incredible stuff
— Suns After Dark (@SunsAfterDark) February 27, 2026
Justin W, who is connected to the @LAClippersFilm account on X, posted a photo of Dončić with his line from Thursday night’s loss to the Suns.
Put him in every single action for the last 10 minutes https://t.co/QsyHbJ2Fd1
— Justin W (@LAClippersFilm) February 27, 2026
Justin W had more to say about the game-winning play, too. In an additional post on X, he wrote, “The most obvious game winner in the world. It was so obvious they were going to go at Luka and put them in rotation, just had to make the shot.”
Sports commentator Skip Bayless also had the Lakers-Suns game on his TV and had a few thoughts after watching Reaves try a game-tying 3-pointer.
Bayless posted on X, “Well, Lakers ran a sneaky great play to free their clutchest shooter Austin Reaves for a long in-bounds crosscourt pass – and his shot hit the far side of the rim. LAKERS LOSE AT PHOENIX TO A TEAM WITHOUT BOOKER, BROOKS AND GOODWIN.”
Trevor Lane, who hosts Lakers Nation, put a bow on the Lakers’ loss: “That just may be the worst loss of the season.”
Allen finished with 28 points off the bench for the Suns, and Gillespie added 21 points, while O’Neale, the star of the game, finished with 13. Dončić led the Lakers with 41 points, while LeBron James added 15 points and Reaves chipped in 14 in the loss.
