Devin Booker announcement that he is leaving the Phoenix now another significant issue for the Team…

The Phoenix Suns snapped a two-game skid on Sunday night, squeaking by the Washington Wizards 112-108 at the Footprint Center. This was far from a vintage display, with the team using a 31-19 fourth-quarter run to power themselves to victory.

Devin Booker was at his best late in the game, scoring 11 of his 27 points in the final quarter of action. After disappointing home losses to the Brooklyn Nets (featuring former players Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson) and New York Knicks, this was an important win for the franchise. With the Wizards having only won four games all season, to drop a game to them would have been ugly.

The Suns were without Bradley Beal – who turned his ankle badly in the loss to the Knicks – but still shouldn’t have struggled as they did against one of the worst teams in the league. At 14-12, they are clinging onto the final play-in spot, and with Beal expected to miss some time with his latest setback, are going to be right up against it to get a high seeding for the playoffs.

Goodwin played 20 minutes (up slightly on the 18.3 he has averaged so far this season), and he had six points, six assists and a surprising eight rebounds. That may seem like a small contribution – but with Beal out and Eric Gordon slotting into the sixth-man role – Goodwin was the next man off the bench and he stood up and was counted.

In fact head coach Frank Vogel went with a nine man rotation, with trade target Bol Bol among those who didn’t see any action. When healthy, Goodwin is generally going to make the cut, but his performance in this one was much needed. The Suns were on the ropes, and Booker recognized the contributions of Goodwin after the game.