Monty Williams Praises Devin Booker After Monster Performance
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker couldn't miss last night.
Booker finished three quarters of play with 51 points in a comfortable win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. It was just the fourth time he's scored 50 or more in his career, and it felt like he couldn't miss no matter where he shot from the floor.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, Booker is the second player over the last 25 years with 50 points and 80% shooting through the first three quarters of a game. He joined James Harden who last did it in 2017.
Booker played like a man possessed, and after the game, Suns coach Monty Williams had nothing but high praise for his performance.
“It was certainly, hate to say ‘Classic Book’, because that would mean that you almost take it for granted but the way he scored tonight and against different defenses. They were blitzing tonight and he started the game just getting off of it and we were knocking down shots and then after that, it was just a snowball and to be honest with you, I didn’t even know he had 51," Williams said.
"The coaches told me when we got in the back, I know he scored a ton but I didn’t know it was 50, so it certainly was a special night and to do it in 30 minutes, it’s just one of those moments that you just sit and watch a guy get hot and then you see everybody feeding off of it and it felt like every time you let it go, it was just going to fall into the basket and then you don’t even notice DA (Deandre Ayton) had 30 when a guy has 51.
"I’m happy for him, I’m happy for his family, the work he puts in playing the right way, getting off of it and ended up with 50 points is pretty cool so it certainly was a good night for us.”
Even in the absence of Chris Paul and Cam Johnson, Booker's play has been on another level. The Suns keep winning, and their star shooting guard is a major way.
Williams said there's not a spot on the court where he can't put the ball in the hoop:
“There’s not a level where he can’t score and he can use both hands. He can score with a hand in his face and he’s willing to take the tough shots, like that’s the thing that people know about him but I talk about it all the time, he’s a big shot-maker but he’s also a big shot-taker so when you have a post-up game, you can play in the midrange when you can attack the basket and shoot it from three, it makes you hard to guard and I thought the most impressive thing was the way he started the game when they were blitzing him," said Williams.
"He got off of it and we were able to make them pay and then it kind of snowballed from there because guys were knocking down shots and then he started going and he was beating the blitz a few times and getting to the basket. One time, he split it and got to the right and I think the work that he’s put in, you can see his body is maturing and changing, he’s able to take the hits around the basket and finish.
"That’s something that’s going to pay off for us as we go forward, the ability to take those hits, finish and go to the free throw line, it allows us to set our defense but there’s not a level or an area on the floor where he can’t score the ball.”
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