The Phoenix Suns earned a precious home win to level their first-round playoff series matchup against the LA Clippers (1-1), as the team will now turn its attention to winning at least one game on the road to reclaim home-court advantage after its 123-109 win.
The 26-year-old nearly got himself a double-double too, recording nine assists and was +15 on the floor for the Suns in a game that they couldn’t afford to lose. Tuesday night’s game also saw Chris Paul end his 14-game playoff curse involving NBA veteran referee Scott Foster.
Following an opening quarter which saw the Clippers take a surprising 29-24 lead, Suns guard Devin Booker suddenly took off, scoring 38 points and connecting on 14-of-22 shots (63.6 overall field goal percentage).
The pair’s history goes all the way back to when the 37-year-old was still playing for the Houston Rockets (2017-19). Both teams went into halftime with the scoreline locked at 59-59 following a 65-point second quarter.
Phoenix never trailed in the final quarter, slowly pulling away. Kevin Durant, who was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to Phoenix in February’s Trade Deadline, also pulled his weight, scoring 25 points.
Booker then scored 18 points in the third on 7-of-8 shooting, helping the Suns push to a 92-87 advantage entering the fourth. The series moves to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Deandre Ayton added 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting- and 13 rebounds for the Suns, while Torrey Craig hit 5-of-8 threes and had 17 points. Paul had 16 points and eight assists. Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 31 points after he scored 38 in Game 1. Russell Westbrook added 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
