The last time Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker entered Smoothie King Center, he scored 52 points against the New Orleans Pelicans.
It appears that little has changed since then.
Booker’s 52 points led the Suns to a 124-111 victory over New Orleans on Monday night, improving Phoenix’s season record to 44-31. The win now puts the Suns one game behind the Pelicans, with one more game against New Orleans coming on Sunday.
Prior to action, Pelicans coach Willie Green was fully aware of Booker’s and his star teammates’ abilities.
“You cannot let Kevin (Durant), Devin (Booker), and Bradley (Beal) play in rhythm. It’s the same as the last few teams we played. “Try to come out early, be physical, play with force, and make them guard you on the other end,” Green told reporters before the game.
“Devin (Booker) is tough. There is a reason he is among the best. “We need to do better.”
New Orleans didn’t have the perfect recipe for success right away, as the Suns led 46-28 after the first quarter after shooting an incredible 66.7% from the floor, including 9-14 from long. Booker finished with 24 points, and Durant was the next highest scorer with 11.
Phoenix led by 20 at halftime, 74-54, with Booker scoring 37 points. Trey Murphy III was New Orleans’ leading scorer at that moment, with 12 points.
In the third quarter, Booker made a regular season career-best seven three-pointers, topping his previous high of six. New Orleans trailed 103-90 going into the fourth.
The Pelicans didn’t go down without a fight, as Phoenix’s fourth-quarter struggles persisted as New Orleans cut their deficit to as little as seven in the waning minutes of the game before the final buzzer sounded. Bradley Beal made several baskets to help keep the Pelicans at bay in the final minutes.
According to the Pelicans’ team broadcast, Booker became the second player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in three consecutive games against any opponent. Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to have accomplished this accomplishment.
On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.