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After the Phoenix Suns eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant had a lot to say about Devin Booker, who scored 47 points in Game 5.
“He’s one of those guys that works on his game,” Durant said about Booker. “He produces every year and he shows up in big moments. So he carried us, man. He made sure we wasn’t gonna lose this game. His shot-making was incredible. His play-making was incredible. We fed off his energy tonight and also the crowd fed off his energy. He’s a special, special human being. Special player. I’m just grateful I get a chance to play with him.”
Booker shot 19-of-27 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in Game 5. The All-Star guard had 10 assists and eight rebounds to go along with his 47 points to help the Suns advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Durant wasn’t too shabby either in Game 5, as the two-time Finals MVP finished with 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, 4-of-6 shooting from 3 and 7-of-7 shooting from the charity stripe. The Suns have only lost one game with Durant and Booker in the lineup (regular season and playoffs). That was Game 1 versus the Clippers on April 16.
Phoenix will take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the second round. The Nuggets have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Kevin Durant on Devin Booker: ‘I Know His Game; He Knows Mine’
Durant told Logan Murdock of The Ringer that he and Booker mesh well on the court because they know each other’s games so well.
“I know his game; he knows mine,” Durant said. “So there’s going to be times where it’s going to be his game. There’s going to be times it’s my game, but when you got guys with no ego, selfless, just care about balling, care about winning, it don’t really matter.”
Booker grew up watching Durant, so it’s been an honor for the Kentucky product to play with KD, who is one of the greatest players in NBA history.
“I had that man on my wall, man, growing up,” Booker told Murdock. “I had a Fathead of Kev. … I always said he was my favorite player. We played against each other, and that was my thing coming into the league. When I get to play against my idols, I try to treat every game the same, but I’m going to bring a little extra that night, a little extra physicality. I just want people to feel my presence, and I think he had a high respect for that.”
Devin Booker on Kevin Durant: ‘He’s a Champ’
Durant is a two-time champion. With the help of Booker, the Texas product could win his third ring this year.
“He’s a champ; he has a résumé,” Booker told Murdock about Durant. “You hear people talk top 10, top five to ever play the game, and at this point, it’s adding hardware for him. I know another championship will help justify that, and our job is—all of us, we all want it that bad—to do it for each other. And I believe that we have the talent to do it, we have the system to do it, and all it is now is just doing it.”
The Suns went 2-2 against the Nuggets during the 2022-23 regular season.
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