Devin Booker Wows NBA Fans as Kevin Durant, Suns Beat Giannis-Led, Lillard-Less Bucks

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 7, 2024

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

In a matchup full of stars between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, Devin Booker was shining.

The explosive guard went off for 32 points and four assists, leading Phoenix to a 114-106 win over the short-handed Bucks. He got his work in early, putting all 32 points up in the first three quarters.

NBA @NBADevin Booker goes coast-to-coast for 30 points!

Bucks-Suns | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/DSxmJXlQR0

NBA @NBABook gets to his spot and draws the foul 💪 #PhantomCam

Bucks-Suns | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/ZI4rGaQlRI

Kevin Durant (28 points, 10 rebounds) and Bradley Beal (25 points, 10 boards) played complementary roles to Booker on Tuesday, while Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, five turnovers) did his best to keep the Bucks in a game that saw them without Damian Lillard due to a sprained left ankle. Khris Middleton also left the game with the same injury in the first quarter, leaving the Bucks down two-thirds of their star trio.

The Suns had their top players intact, however, and Booker was popping off. That earned him some well-deserved plaudits on social media:

Paul Dawkins @Paul__DawkinsDevin Booker is casually unstoppable– especially when he can get a defender in jail below the free-throw line.

Sam Cooper @scooperhoopsDevin Booker seeking out Jae Crowder to target >>>>>>>

Marquez Sloan @quezyquez15Devin booker killing em !

TradeJustinFieldsToARealTeam @20_fifThank you God. Thank you Devin Booker.

.Joy Jagpreet Singh (ਜਾੱਈ ਜਗਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ) ☬ @joysinghgDevin Booker’s game is smooth!

No wasted movements. Effective and efficient.

Fids @loc_nateI swear to god i’ve seen Devin Booker look legitimately unstoppable more than I think any other NBA player playing rn.

D.J. @_BeardUpDevin Booker be dropping 30+ every game so efficiently

Booker has been pretty hot of late, with eight games of 30 or more points since the start of the new year, four games with 40 or more points, two games with at least 50 points and, yes, a 62-point outburst on Jan. 26.

He’s always been capable of filling it up, and the Big Three of Booker, Durant and Beal seemed to be hitting a groove, winning 11 of their last 14 games. They are now 13-7 when the trio appears in a game together.

“I think you learn something new every game depending on the matchup, depending on how teams guard us,” Booker told reporters before Tuesday’s game. “I think with all the firepower we have, we force teams to throw different defenses [at us], switch things up.”

In the NBA, however, good offense normally trumps good defense. Look no further than Booker’s big performance on Tuesday.