Best Sunday performances in the NBA Playoffs, No. 2: Devin Booker
Special consideration: Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul
If you took a person who didn’t know that Devin Booker had never played in the postseason until sunday’s first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, and you told that person that Devin Booker had the same playoff resume as one of the all time greats, they would believe you after his poised performance in Game 1.
Booker tallied 34 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, including eight assists, and seven rebounds. Booker was incredible in Game 1, especially because of the circumstances. Chris Paul gets hurt early and is clearly compromised through 75 percent of the game, it’s Booker’s first playoff game, they’re going against the best player in the game as well. The excuses are all there for Booker and the Phoenix Suns. But it didn’t matter, at all.
One would think, with Chris Paul being compromised, that Booker would try to impose his will, take more shots, and start pressing a little bit. He didn’t he stayed composed and got a ton of tough baskets inside the three point line.
Booker, one of the premier three point shooters in the league was pretty pedestrian from 3, just 3-7. However, it seemed that all of his three point field goals came at a timely spot in the game.
Booker and the Suns no doubt have a tall task in the first round as they face the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, but a 1-0 start against a team in the playoffs, with homecourt advantage is always a great way to edge out a series. We’ll see if the Suns can keep it up.