The Phoenix Suns defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-115 on Friday night, led by Devin Booker's 25 points and Chris Paul's 16.
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The Phoenix Suns defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-115 on Friday night, led by Devin Booker’s 25 points. The Suns extended their victory streak to 12 games in a row, with too-strong efforts from Chris Paul (16 points) and Josh Okogie (15 points).
Deandre Ayton delivered 14 points and 11 rebounds during the team’s victory, while Cameron Payne scored 14 points. Despite Isaiah Joe’s 28 points and youngster Jalen Williams’ 22 points, the Thunder fell for the second night in a row. Luguentz Dort had 17 points, Tre Mann had 11 points, and Jaylin Williams had 10 points.
Oklahoma City All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out with injuries to his left hip and right ankle, which contributed to the Thunder’s loss. With his 1,052nd career 3-pointer, Booker surpassed Steve Nash (1,051) as the Suns’ all-time 3-pointer leader.
Kevin Durant, who watched from the Phoenix bench, might make his Suns debut on Sunday against Milwaukee or Wednesday against Charlotte. Payne, who had missed the previous 21 games due to a foot ailment, scored three 3-pointers to help secure the team’s win.
Overall, the Suns made 46.7% of their shots and were 14 of 38 (36.8%) from 3-point range, while the Thunder made 43.6% of their shots and were 15 of 37 (40.5%) from 3-point range.
The Suns led 65-60 at halftime, with Okogie scoring 15 points in the first half and Joe scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting for Oklahoma City. The Suns scored the next 11 points in the third quarter, with Ayton scoring the next five to take an 85-78 lead with 4:34 remaining.
Later in the quarter, the Thunder cut the lead to six points before Booker’s put-back and game-winning 3-pointer made the score 121-110 with 2:08 remaining.
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Devin Booker is well on his way to becoming a Phoenix Suns legend. On Friday night, he added another Suns legend to his list of accomplishments. Booker passed Nash for the most three-pointers in Suns history with his first and lone three-pointer of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“It means a lot,” said Devin Booker after the game. “Being in the company of a name like Steve Nash, somebody that I have a ton of respect for. One of my first games here as a Phoenix Sun was his ring of honor night and just somebody that I’ve always kept in contact with. Just understand how much he’s done for this franchise. Two-time MVP, the list goes on. Just to be at the top of that list for an organization that took a chance on me as an 18-year-old kid is very important.”
Devin Booker just needed one three-pointer against the Thunder, and he took his time getting it. He had missed his first five long-range tries before burying a dagger on the left wing to put the Suns up double digits with little over two minutes remaining.
He ended with 25 points on 9-of-21 field goal shooting, six rebounds, and eight assists. The contested threes Booker shot against the Thunder will appear much more open with Kevin Durant waiting in the wings, since he’ll be playing off one of the most deadly scorers in history. If the Suns can reach the summit and win the championship to end the season, Devin Booker will be front and center for something that even greats like Nash and Charles Barkley have failed to do with the franchise.
Watch the match highlights below.
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