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Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker hates double teams on defense. But the New York Knicks were no match for Booker’s offense.
Booker rubbed it in on Instagram after hitting the game-winner over Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to lift the Suns to a 116-113 victory against the Knicks on Sunday, November 16, at Madison Square Garden.
Booker captioned his post: “Always complaining about the double [team defense].”
The Suns’ star was referencing to his viral video of complaining about it in an open run at the gym in 2019.
Booker has ascended since that viral video became a meme. He went to the NBA Finals and made the Suns a perennial playoff team. On Sunday, he added to his legend with a game-winner at the iconic Garden in a signature Suns win without Kevin Durant (foot) and Bradley Beal (back).
“It was a shot I’ve imagined in my head multiple times,” Booker said via New York Post.
The Knicks’ defense zeroed in on Booker as they waged a comeback from a 15-point deficit to tie the game with 21.9 seconds left.
“But with the game on the line,” Booker said via NBA.com, “I wanted to take that one.”
Booker’s endgame brilliance spoiled Jalen Brunson‘s 35-point gem.
“Tough shot, credit to [Booker] but we played with fire the whole game,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said via NBA.com.
The Knicks had no one to blame but themselves as they started the game poorly. They spent a lot of their energy climbing out of the 15-point hole and fell short in the end.
Jalen Brunson’s Continued Rise
Despite getting the short end of the stick, Brunson continued his rise like Booker experienced a few years back.
The Knicks star guard shot 15-of-25 against the Suns. He added eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and one block for a complete line. A big part of his continued ascent is the development of his 3-point shot.
For the season, he’s hitting at a career-high 46.9% rate. On Sunday, he made 5 of 10 3-pointers.
After a slow start to the season, the reigning NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week is now averaging a career-best 24.2 points and there are no signs he would slow down.
Julius Randle’s Jekyll and Hyde
As Brunson became a picture of consistency for the Knicks, his co-star Julius Randle continued his “Jekyll and Hyde” performance.
He finished with 28 points, buoyed by a brilliant third quarter. But his first-half struggles epitomized the Knicks’ slow start.
Randle started the game on 1-of-5 shooting and settled for a 2-for-6 outing at the intermission. Then in the third quarter, he flashed the form that made him a two-time All-Star and All-NBA player.
Randle poured 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in that torrid third quarter. He barreled to the teeth of Phoenix’s defense.
“Just got involved, got into the paint,” Randle said via New York Post.
The Knicks rose with him in the third quarter and took the lead for the first time. Then he fell back to earth in the fourth quarter with only four points on 2-of-6 shooting.
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