Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has scored 293 points this postseason, the most through eight playoff games since Michael Jordan (325) in 1990. In the Suns’ 121-114 second-round win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Booker posted 47 points. It was his fourth 45-point playoff game of his eight-year career.
Along with notching six rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one block, the three-time All-Star shot 20-of-25 (80%) from the field and 5-of-8 (62.5%) beyond the arc. Booker is the first player since Jordan in 1992 to average at least 35 points per game over the first eight games of a postseason.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, Devin Booker and the Suns have fifth-shortest odds to win the championship. Check out which sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Devin Booker has his 4th 45-pt playoff game.
All other Suns players in franchise history have 4 such games.
Booker has 293 points this postseason. That is the most through a player’s first 8 games of a postseason since Michael Jordan in 1990 (325). pic.twitter.com/gIoVJvE5r1
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 6, 2023
“It’s all I know, this is all I dreamed of as a kid,” Devin Booker said. “I’ve dedicated a lot of my life, moved away from my family when I was young, to pursue being in these moments.”
Booker scored 27 points in the first half on 12-of-15 shooting to push the Suns ahead 67-52 by halftime. Phoenix outscored Denver 38-21 in the second quarter. Will the Suns guard come close to matching another Michael Jordan record this postseason?
Kevin Durant finished with 39 points, nine boards, eight assists, and two blocks. Booker and Durant combined for 48 points in the first half, the most by a Suns duo in a first half over the last 25 postseasons.
Suns guard Devin Booker becomes the first player since Michael Jordan in 1992 to average at least 35 points per game over the first eight games of a postseason
Suns coach Monty Williams benched center Deandre Ayton after he added just four points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Ayton was replaced by Jock Landale, the 6-foot-11 big man Phoenix traded for from the Atlanta Hawks last offseason.
“That’s life,” Devin Booker said of Ayton’s benching. “We’ve been around long enough to understand that not every night is going to be your night. It’s doing other things to make up for it.
“Energy and effort always has to be high, especially around this time. You can’t get flustered; you can’t get in your own head. I could see that a little with him today, so it’s my job to pump him up.”
Devin Booker becomes the first player since Michael Jordan in 1992 to average 35+ PPG over the first eight games of a postseason. pic.twitter.com/M4inaiLyCn
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) May 6, 2023
Devin Booker joined Allen Iverson as the only players to score 45 or more points in a playoff game on two or fewer free throw attempts. Booker also now has more 40-point playoff games than Charles Barkley, Jayson Tatum, Larry Bird, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Reggie Miller, Anthony Davis, and other players.
The Suns will attempt to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday at Footprint Center in Phoenix. According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Nuggets have a 52.6% chance of taking a 3-1 series lead. Sportsbooks show the Suns as three-point favorites.
