Written by Cody Cunningham at NBA.com
“Devin Booker does not want to leave,” Head Coach Earl Watson said following Sunday’s win in Mexico City. “He wants to play Utah here.
After the numbers Booker put up the past two games down south, could anyone blame him?
He now holds the top two spots for the most points scored in a regular season game in Mexico, as he tied his career-high with 39 each night.
After setting the Suns franchise record for most points in a quarter against the Mavericks, Booker had another impressive fourth quarter performance by putting up 14 and leading the Suns to their first win over the Spurs since February 14, 2014.
The Spurs held the lead for the majority of the game, but after two big three-pointers from Dragan Bender and a buzzer-beating three from P.J. Tucker, the Suns trailed by just 5 heading into the fourth quarter.
A quick steal by Tucker led to a mid-range jumper from Tyler Ulis to make it a one possession game. Booker then was fouled on consecutive possessions and converted on all four of his free throw attempts to give the Suns an 86-85 lead. He finished the game shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the line.
After a few more Booker buckets, a Ulis jumper and an Alex Len dunk, Phoenix held an eight-point lead with under seven minutes left to play.
Defensively, the Suns were doing everything right. The Spurs did not convert on a single field goal attempt until there was just 6:42 remaining.
However, Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard tied the game with four minutes left to play
“The guys were resilient,” Watson said. “They kept fighting.”
An Eric Bledsoe steal led to a Booker dunk to give him his 39th point and put the icing on the win in the final minute.
Booker is the second youngest play in NBA history with four or more games of at least 38 points (LeBron James being the youngest).
To continue reading this article, click here.
