NBA

With 59 points, Devon Booker goes hunting for 60 in blowout loss to Utah Jazz

Devin Booker scored 59 points, his second-highest scoring game, against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. The Suns lost the game 125-92. Booker’s 59 point explosion was more than half the Sun’s of the Suns total team points and is the third highest single-game scoring total in Phoenix Suns history.

In getting to his 59 points, the Phoenix Suns guard made 19 of his 34 field-goal attempts which included hitting 5 of 8 attempts from the 3-point line. The 6-5 guard also converted 16 of 17 free-throws.

He was one point from hitting the 60 point milestone and adding his name to an exclusive list of players that have hit for 60 points in a game, the Suns put the guard back in to see if they could get him over the 60 point barrier. Booker said another high-scoring guard encouraged him to go back in: “Honestly, it was a Jamal Crawford decision,” Booker said. “He came off the bench and was like, ‘Get back in there,’ but just having fun with it.”

Crawford didn’t exactly corroborate the story. “Well, I won’t get into that, but what I will say is, those moments are special,” said Crawford, who has three career NBA 50-point games. “They really are.”

Whatever the case, Booker’s teammates seem to support him in his quest to get one more point. “I wanted him to go for 60.” Suns rookie Deandre Ayton told the media after the game.

Instead of allowing Booker to get another shot off, the Utah Jazz chose to foul another Suns player so he would come up short. “I think it’s a good play,” Booker said of Quin Snyder choosing to foul. “I understand it. I respect their coaching staff. Coach Q (Quin Snyder) is a very good coach. I totally understand it, defending his team. I wouldn’t want anybody getting 60 on me, either. I definitely understand it.”

In any case, Booker is clearly an unbelievable scorer, but he’s proving out that he’s not much more than that. At just 22 years old, he’s young and has plenty of time to learn and win.

With the latest feat, Booker joins an exclusive list of two Suns legends in Tom Chambers and Charles Barkley as the only Suns players with multiple 50-point games. Booker now has two of the three highest-scoring single games in Suns history. He scored a career high 70 points in a loss at the Boston Celtics two years ago on March 24, 2017. Those 70 points is a Phoenix Suns franchise record that was previously held by Chambers’ career high of 60 points.

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