Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton have been the stars for the Phoenix Suns in their playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
But it was a former Boston Celtics player of a lower profile who helped the Suns earn a dramatic win Tuesday night in Game 2.
With just 0.9 seconds left and Phoenix trailing by one, Suns forward Jae Crowder lobbed a perfect alley-oop pass to Ayton, who dunked over Ivica Zubac to give the Suns an improbable 104-103 victory.
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Crowder couldn't have placed his pass to Ayton any better, and one of his ex-Celtics teammates noticed. Here's how Isaiah Thomas reacted to the game-winning play as it happened:
Thomas and Crowder spent nearly three seasons together in Boston from 2015 to 2017. Alongside hard-nosed, defensive-minded players like Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart, the Celtics of the Thomas and Crowder era played with an edge and intensity that helped them reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2017 despite having just one All-Star in Thomas.
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So, it's no surprise that Thomas gave Crowder a shout-out for making a winning play. Crowder finished with just two points on 0 for 3 shooting, but he made the most important pass of the night to help Phoenix steal Game 2.
The Suns will look to take a 3-0 series lead Thursday in Game 3, and we know who Thomas will be rooting for.