Suns' Devin Booker Joins Mavs Legend Dirk Nowitzki in Rarified Playoff Air
The NBA playoffs are always exciting under any circumstances, but every now and then, we get lucky enough to witness something truly special – something that has never been done before, or something that hasn't been done in quite some time.
One of those special performances happened during Friday night's Game 3 between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, as Devin Booker became just the second player in NBA postseason history to score 40+ points while also shooting 80+ percent from the field.
The only other player to accomplish that feat was Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki during the Mavs' epic 2011 championship run.
In a 121-114 win that kept the Nuggets from going up 3-0 in the second-round series, Booker scored 47 points while shooting 20-25 from the field. He also grabbed six rebounds, dished out nine assists and collected three steals in 42 minutes of play.
Nowitzki's performance happened in Game 2 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He finished with 48 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks while shooting 12-15 from the field and 24-24 from the free-throw line in 41 minutes. Dallas won that game 121-112 and ultimately went on to win the series in five games to advance to the NBA Finals.
Ironically enough, Kevin Durant got to witness both of these rare performances up close and in person – the first time on the losing end as a member of the Thunder, and now on the winning end as a teammate of Booker. Despite shooting just 12-31 from the field, Durant had a productive game on Friday as well, finishing with 39 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter @dalton_trigg.
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