Getty Suns stars Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker
After the Phoenix Suns won Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, Devin Booker sent a strong message to Deandre Ayton, who had a rough night.
Ayton not only finished with just four points in 22 minutes in Game 3, but he also got benched by head coach Monty Williams for Jock Landale and didn’t display good body language on the bench. The former No. 1 overall pick didn’t speak to the media after the game, so reporters asked Booker to talk about Ayton.
“I mean, that’s life,” Booker said. “We’ve been around long enough to understand every night’s not gonna be your night. It’s just doing other things to make up for it. If you make a shot, miss a layup, like you don’t know what’s gonna happen there. But 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 and I could see that a little bit with him today. So it’s my job to just pump him up. Like it’s next possession. Like who cares how you play. All it comes down to is if you win or lost this time of year.”
Ayton shot 2-of-6 from the field in Game 3 and registered a plus-minus of -4. Meanwhile, Landale had six points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor. He was a +10 and played with more energy and effort than Ayton as the Suns defeated the Nuggets by a final score of 121-114.
Game 4 of this series is on May 7. All eyes will likely be on Ayton to see how he responds after playing poorly in Game 3.
Devin Booker Talks About His Big Night
Booker was unguardable in Game 3. The superstar shooting guard put up 47 points, six rebounds and nine assists in 42 minutes while shooting 20-of-25 overall, 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Booker said he knew he would have the ball in his hands more since point guard Chris Paul didn’t play due to a groin injury.
“Just understanding that I’m gonna have more on-ball responsibility,” Booker said. “So still trying to find that balance of being aggressive and making sure everybody’s involved. Making sure KD’s getting his touches, allowing him to be aggressive in space. I know it’s gonna be a faster-tempo game with Cam Payne out there. I think he started off the game with a full-court layup, then a kick-ahead to JO for an easy layup. Those are important plays for our team.”
Booker is now averaging 36.9 points in these playoffs. It’s unknown if Paul will play again in this series versus the Nuggets, so Booker knows he has to continue to be aggressive.
“Just trying to be aggressive,” Booker said. “Being ultra-aggressive. I understand that opens things up for my teammates when I play that way. And at the same time, just taking what the defense gives me. A lot of it was in transition. Block shots, rebounds and then just taking off. And KD draws so much attention. Left me wide open for a couple threes. And just getting easy ones.”
Devin Booker: ‘This Is All I’ve Dreamed of as a Kid’
Booker was asked by a reporter during his postgame press conference why he enjoys the pressure of the postseason so much. The Kentucky product had a powerful response.
“I mean, it’s all I know,” Booker said. “This is all I’ve dreamed of as a kid. I’ve dedicated a lot of my life. I’ve moved away from my family when I was young to pursue being in these moments. And just the people that came before me, man. Like my dad played and just being a fan of the game. It was my way through life. So it’s not time to fold up now.”