Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns is not concerned with analyzing his historic hot streak during the playoffs. Despite matching his teammate Kevin Durant’s 36-point performance in Sunday’s Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, Booker is focused on winning. He believes that efficiency is not as important as attacking, being aggressive, and continuing to go for the win.
Booker’s Astounding Efficiency
Booker’s efficiency has been outstanding throughout the playoffs, and especially in the last 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. He 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.
Teammate Kevin Durant
Durant also played a significant role in the Suns’ win against the Nuggets, scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. 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. Durant believes that the best is yet to come for the duo, who have played only 17 games together, nine of which were during the playoffs.
Phoenix’s Explosive Offense
The Suns’ front office anticipated explosive offense when the team made the midseason trade to pair Durant with Booker. Injuries limited Durant to only eight regular-season games after the trade, but Phoenix is still figuring things out on the fly. However, the belief in the superstar pair’s potential keeps building.
Booker has already produced six 35-plus-point performances in these playoffs, the most ever by a Phoenix player during a postseason. He frequently hits momentum-shifting shots, such as the pair of 3-pointers he made in the final minute of the third quarter to push the Suns’ lead to six points.
The Suns also received a boost from guard Landry Shamet, who scored 19 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, including five 3s. He capitalized on the attention the Denver defense paid to the Suns’ stars, hitting open shots when the ball swung to the backside.
Suns coach Monty Williams praised Booker’s ability to look for moments to make crucial shots and send a message to his team that he can carry them. The Suns’ past two wins have occurred while Booker has taken on significant facilitating responsibilities with Chris Paul sidelined by a strained left groin.
The Suns have been trying out different lineups throughout the series, but Booker is confident in the team’s ability to win basketball games. He does not believe that there is a ceiling on what he and his team can achieve.
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