While Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela has made several great defensive plays in his career, it’s unlikely that he’s ever made a play like the one he made on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.
Capela was guarding the hoop when Washington guard Jordan Goodwin drove the lane. Capela went up to challenge what looked to be a shot, but Goodwin pulled the ball down and went for a pass, trying to pass it behind Capela.
Capela, though had other ideas. When Goodwin tried to pass the ball around the big man, Capela threw his right hand behind his back. He then pinned the ball against his hip and came away with a textbook steal.
This steal by Clint Capela 😯 pic.twitter.com/KKXISpYebk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 6, 2023
Basketball fans were amazed at Capela’s remarkable steal of Goodwin’s pass.
This was pretty smooth https://t.co/jlC2fWPZGI
— L.A. Broadus 🎙 (@LA_Broadus) April 6, 2023
Straight wizardry https://t.co/Hwn3R8bJ3Z
— Eric Sklar (@TheDukeOfSports) April 6, 2023
— Stackz. (@stackz1shot) April 6, 2023
— Heather Gagnon (@HeatwaveDesigns) April 6, 2023
This will go down as one of the season’s top highlights, especially on defense. But even before the steal, this was textbook defense.
Right from the start, Capela’s effort on this play was fantastic.
Even without the steal, this was great defense from Capela. He took the shot away from the smaller Goodwin and made the pass a tough one. Getting his hand around to stop the ball and pinning it against his hip was icing on the cake.
[SportsCenter] Photo Credit: Bally Sports Southwest