Getty Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker scored 45 points in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers and small forward Kevin Durant had a lot of praise for the All-Star during his postgame press conference.
“Great performance,” Durant said. “In the playoffs like that on the road. Game 3. 45. With that efficiency. It’s almost, I expect stuff like this from him at this point in his career, but he set the tone. Getting to the rim, making plays for others, just controlling the whole game and we’re gonna need him to continue to do that moving forward.”
Booker shot 18-of-29 from the field, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line in 45 minutes in Game 3. The Kentucky product is now averaging 36.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series.
The Suns reclaimed home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series by winning Game 3. They will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4, which is on April 22.
Devin Booker: The Suns Came With a ‘Hit-First Mindset’ in Game 3
Booker told Ashley ShahAhmadi of NBA TV after Game 3 that the Suns came with a “hit-first mindset.”
“Just win at all costs,” Booker said. “That’s our motto. We don’t wanna give any games away. Even though they were undermanned today, we know those guys are still gonna bring it. So we had to come with a hit-first mindset and we just weathered the storm throughout the whole game.”
Booker, who is looking to win his first title, revealed to ShahAhmadi that Durant and Chris Paul make the game easier for him.
“I’m just put in the right situations,” Booker said. “We have KD out here. We have Chris Paul. Those guys attract a lot of attention. It opens up spots for me. Coach does a good job of putting us in situations where we can succeed and that’s just what we been doing.”
Durant had 28 points, six rebounds and five assists in Game 3, while Paul chipped in 11 points and seven assists versus his former team. The Suns have only lost one game with Durant in the lineup since acquiring the future Hall of Famer from the Brooklyn Nets. That was Game 1 of the Clippers series on April 16 at the Footprint Center.
The Suns Didn’t Have to Deal With Kawhi Leonard in Game 3
The Suns didn’t have to deal with Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard in Game 3. The two-time champion didn’t play due to a sprained right knee. Leonard aggravated his knee at the end of the Clippers’ Game 1 win over the Suns and played through it in Game 2.
“Symptoms got worse after Game 2,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said before Game 3. “Obviously, if we weren’t comfortable with [Leonard] playing [in Game 2], we wouldn’t have, but after the game, things didn’t get better. They got worse. So we will rule him out and kind of take it day by day.”
Leonard is averaging 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 54.5% from the field and 60.0% from beyond the arc versus the Suns. It’s unknown if the five-time All-Star will play in Game 4.