Steal, credited to defender who deflects the ball away from opponent Steal, credited to defender who deflects the ball away from opponent Steal, credited to defender who deflects the ball away from opponent
“A steal is credited to a player that legally takes the ball away from an opponent, intercepts a pass, or otherwise obtains possession on the ball following an opponent’s turnover (provided the ball has remained inbounds and the clock has not stopped). If a player deflects a pass or dribble and controls his deflection either away from an opponent or towards a teammate resulting in eventual possession for the defense, the player causing the deflection is credited with the steal. On this play, #42 in red, Al Horford, is credited with the steal since he deflected the pass in a controlled manner away from the opponent (even though Horford did not control the ball).”