Devin Booker Keeps Suns' Offensive Machine Humming
Phoenix Suns SG Devin Booker continues to propel his team to victory.
A 122-117 win over the Sacramento Kings wasn't always easy at times, but a 44-point performance helped put a pesky Kings team away for good and ensured Phoenix's winning streak extended to five.
Booker also tied a career high in steals (6) during the win as well.
“It’s just halftime adjustments. We wanted to get some stops. They were playing out in transition getting everything they wanted," Booker said following the game.
"From wide open shots, to wide open slip screen lay-ups and we just wanted to slow that down a bit. That was a point of emphasis for us. Cut it down a little bit in the second half and we kept scoring at the rate we were scoring.”
Booker wasn't the only factor in the win, as Damion Lee came off the bench to hit a few clutch three's down the stretch of the fourth quarter. He finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
“He was just ready for that moment. You can tell by his demeanor when team’s double off of him and leaving him wide open in the corner or at the top. He takes that as disrespect as he should. He’s not scared to let it go. He lets it go and every time he shoots it, I think it’s going in," Booker said.
The Suns shoot a ton of midrange shots, which has slowly turned into a lost art in today's battle at the perimeter. Suns coach Monty Williams, when asked if Booker's game had an old school element, offered this:
“All of it is, the mid-range part of it. The ability to get to the basket and take contact. Then there’s his mentality. He gets upset when I ask him if he is tired. That’s old school," Williams said.
"He and I have had a number of conversations about minutes and he’s always like, ‘coach, all of the guys back in the day played 40 a night.’ He’s looking at me like ‘Why can’t I play 40 a night?’ I feel like I’m holding him back some games or some parts of the season. I don’t want to consistently do that to him. We’ve had to lately with as many guys as we’ve had out and he’s more than stepped up. He studies the game, he studies history.
"He knows what the guys at his position played, what they did and the minutes that they played, he understands that. But he also understands what I’m trying to do as far as managing not just legs but his emotions. It takes a lot to play the way he plays and I don’t want his cup empty when we need it.”
Booker hit over 40 points for the second time this season, hit over 30 for the sixth time all year and has also scored at least 20 in his last eight games.
The Suns, even without Chris Paul and Cam Johnson, are performing at a high level, and Booker's play is a big reason why.
Phoenix is back in action Wednesday night when they host the Chicago Bulls.
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Monty Williams Praises Poise After Tough Win
