Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns is having a historic hot streak in the playoffs, but he doesn’t want to focus too much on his personal stats. In Sunday night’s Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, Booker scored 36 points and matched his teammate Kevin Durant’s total. Booker was 14-of-18 from the field, helping the Suns win 129-124 and tie the series.
Booker’s phenomenal efficiency has been astounding throughout the playoffs and especially in the past two games of the Western Conference semifinals series. He has scored 331 points during this postseason, the most by any player through nine playoff games since Michael Jordan in 1990. Booker has done so with a 70% true shooting percentage, the best ever by a player who scored at least 300 points over a span of nine playoff games.
Since the Suns left Denver facing an 0-2 deficit in the series, Booker has exploded for 83 points in Phoenix’s two home wins while shooting 79.1% from the floor. He made 20 of 26 jump shots in the pair of victories, hitting at a clip (76.9%) that ranks as the best over two playoff games in the decade that Second Spectrum has done player tracking among a group of more than 900 players who attempted at least 25 jumpers.
Booker says he knows where he’s supposed to be aggressive and where he’s supposed to make shots. He has been adding significant facilitating responsibilities with Chris Paul sidelined by a strained left groin. Booker already has six 35-plus-point performances in these playoffs, the most ever by a Phoenix player during a postseason.
Teaming Up with Kevin Durant
Durant delivered his best performance of the series Sunday, scoring 36 points on 11-of-19 shooting, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out six assists. It marked the first time two teammates each recorded at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in consecutive games, regular season or playoffs.
The Suns’ front office anticipated this sort of explosive offense when the Suns made the blockbuster midseason trade to pair Durant with Booker. Injuries limited Durant to only eight regular-season games after the trade, so Phoenix is still figuring out a lot of things on the fly, with Williams’ rotation varying significantly from game to game. But the belief in the superstar pair’s potential keeps building.
Booker believes that there are no restrictions on anything that he and his team can do. “We’ve also been going with different lineups through this series, too, so it’s a lot of new for us, but that excuse is out the window. That’s a regular-season thing. It’s time to win basketball games.”
The Suns also got a big lift off the bench from guard Landry Shamet, who scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including five 3s. He consistently capitalized on the attention the Denver defense paid the Suns’ stars, hitting open shots when the ball swung to the backside.
Booker’s hot streak and efficient play, combined with Durant’s stellar performance, have put the Suns in a good position to win the series against the Nuggets. Despite his remarkable stats, Booker remains focused on winning and is ready to take on any challenge that comes his way.
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