Devin Booker Powers Suns Past Thunder
PHOENIX -- It wasn't the game Phoenix Suns fans expected, but perhaps the one they needed.
The Valley has been swept with Kevin Durant fever since his arrival - and rightfully so. Durant's lit the court up in each of his first three games with Phoenix and was expected to make his home debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant was going through warmups and slipped on an unseen wet spot on the floor, injuring his ankle and putting himself out of the lineup. Durant wasn't present on the bench for Phoenix, either.
In classic Devin Booker fashion, their shooting guard was able to shoulder the load in a 132-101 victory against the Thunder with 44 points, three rebounds and four assists.
He became the first player in Phoenix Suns history to score 35+ in four straight games.
The Suns are now on a four-game winning streak and have won their last seven-of-ten. After the victory over Oklahoma City, they're 37-29 on the season.
The current Western Conference Player of the Week was due for a strong night when he entered halftime with 30 points. Foul trouble (he hit four fouls early in third quarter) kept him on the bench for awhile, however.
Tonight marked the first time since the 2020-21 season where Booker scored 30+ in four consecutive games. After hitting 44 points, he exited with 7:23 left in the game.
Tonight was also Booker's sixth 40+ point game this season, yet he wasn't the lone Phoenix player to get after it in the scoring department. Terrence Ross completed his third game scoring over 20 points with 24 off the bench.
Defensively, the Suns were able to limit OKC to just 37.3% shooting from the field, Lindy Waters paced Oklahoma City with 23 points off the bench.
The Suns return to action on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.
