Devin Booker Arrives When Suns Need a Hero the Most
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker was quiet. Too quiet.
Booker's prior four games heading into Saturday night's meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans didn't see the Kentucky product score more than 17 points. His top shooting percentage from the field was 35.3% and he went a combined 5-25 from three-point land.
Still working through a hamstring strain that kept him out for two games, Booker found himself and the rest of Phoenix down by as much as 24 points in what appeared to be another strong win over the Pelicans, a team that swept them the previous weekend back in New Orleans.
Then, Booker adjusted his cape and went to work, much like we've seen other NBA greats take over. Booker finished with an astounding 58 points on 60% shooting which included 25 straight points on his own shoulders.
Head coach Monty Williams said the only person who could stop Booker was himself if he opted to remove him from the game.
“I told the coaches this morning that he was approaching something. He doesn’t have those kind of shooting nights consecutively. I saw how frustrated he was in Los Angeles, and I was like, I have to find a way to get him going. I wish it was something I did, or schematically we tried to figure some things out. He just had one of those nights," Williams said following the game.
"I think the only person that could have stopped him from scoring tonight was me, by taking him out of the game. He just had one of those Book nights – none of us take for granted. On top of that, he was making the right pass out of the double-team. That was even more impressive. As guys started making shots around him, I thought Chris’ (Paul) last three was about as tough of a three as you could have to make it. He caught it and could not tell if the guy was closing out, and he hitched it and still shot it. Pure. That was a big-time play.
"Book is an amazing basketball player, not just a scorer. I thought the competitive edge tonight gave us a lot of juice. At halftime I showed clips; we have to go out there and play with some confidence. I did not see the confidence level at the place where we typically have it. We cannot let shots dictate our confidence. I thought Book led the charge in the second half. It was just an impressive night.”
It was the fifth time Booker has eclipsed over 50 points and the second time this season. Following the game, he said his energy helped play a role in the comeback.
“It’s important. We dropped two games to those guys this last week and now the series is 2-2 for the season. A potential matchup for the playoffs, and we understand that, so just want to come out and set the tone," Booker said after the game.
“I was just making shots. I’ve been in a bit of a slump and just have to keep shooting. That’s what I live by. I was put in the right situations to make the right plays. I usually just want to make the right play every time, but once I get it going a little bit, shooting over a hand – it’s the right play. You see late Chris (Paul) got a couple of threes out of the traps, J.O. (Josh Okogie) on the boards, Bis (Bismack Biyombo) and Jock (Landale) setting screens the whole night, so to be down 24 and come back and win, it takes a whole collective group.”
After dropping five consecutive games, Phoenix has now rebounded to string together consecutive wins.
Cam Johnson is still out. Deandre Ayton has now missed multiple games. Chris Paul has been in and out of the lineup. Phoenix has also seen key bench players miss time, too.
Yet whenever Booker is on the floor, no matter the score, they know there's a chance to escape with victory in some fashion.
That was again the case this weekend.
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