Booker extends Suns unbeaten streak
Orlando, Tuesday
Devin Booker produced another 30-point scoring display as the Phoenix Suns notched six wins in a row since the NBA’s restart with a blowout victory over Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Booker scored 35 points with five rebounds and four assists in a 128-101 win that maintained Phoenix’s improbable charge towards a place in the Western Conference play-in.
It was the fourth time in six games that Booker has scored more than 30 points in Orlando, where the Suns are a perfect 6-0 since the season resumed inside the NBA’s bubble last month.
Booker’s latest masterclass included an audacious three-pointer from near halfway late in the third period that extended the Suns’ lead to 13 points, and underscored his status as the NBA’s form player.
Booker’s offensive effort was backed by double-digit scoring from five team-mates, with starters Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson scoring 18 points each and Dario Saric adding 16 points.
Cameron Payne had 14 points off the bench, while Deandre Ayton added 10 points.
Oklahoma City’s scoring was led by Darius Bazley with 22 points, while Abdel Nader had 15 points.
The Suns (32-39) began the season restart as rank outsiders for a place in the playoffs from the Western Conference.
Monday’s win lifted them above San Antonio into 10th place in the race for a place in next weekend’s play-in tournament.
But even if the Suns win their two remaining seeding games -- against Philadelphia on Tuesday and against Dallas on Thursday -- they will need rivals Memphis, Portland and San Antonio to lose once in their final games to secure a berth in the play-in.
Suns coach Monty Williams warned afterwards that the team was still a long way from achieving its goal of a first appearance in the playoffs for a decade.
“We haven’t accomplished anything,” Williams said. “That may sound like coach speak, but we dug ourselves into a hole with our record this season.
