Getty Tyronn Lue and Devin Booker
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue showered Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker with praise after Game 5 on April 25.
Lue, whose Clippers lost to the Suns 4-1, told reporters that Booker “was tough all series.”
“Booker was tough all series. We couldn’t stop him. We had no answer for him. We tried blitz, we couldn’t get him blitzes. We tried to fire and we couldn’t get our fires. He’s really elusive. He’s quick and dribbles around, it’s just tough for us.”
Ty Lue on Devin Booker. #Suns
Booker was incredible against the Clippers. The three-time All-Star averaged 37.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.6 steals while shooting 60.2% from the field, 46.7% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free-throw line. Booker leads the postseason in points per game and steals per game.
One of the best scorers in the NBA, Booker had 26 points in Game 1, 38 in Game 2, 45 in Game 3, 30 in Game 4 and 47 in Game 5. The Suns will face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, a series that will feature a lot of star power, headlined by Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.
Kevin Durant on Devin Booker: ‘He’s a Special Player’
Durant had a lot to say about Booker after the Suns beat the Clippers in Game 5. “KD” called “Book” a “special player.”
“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 and Durant are arguably the most unstoppable duo in the playoffs. Durant averaged 28.4 points versus the Clippers and shot 51.8% overall and 45.8% from 3-point land. Booker and Durant are averaging a combined 65.6 points per game in the playoffs.
“I know his game; he knows mine,” Durant told Logan Murdock of The Ringer. “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.”
Devin Booker on Kevin Durant: ‘I Always Said He Was My Favorite Player’
Booker told Murdock that Durant was his favorite player growing up. The two stars had a relationship before the Suns acquired Durant.
“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.”
Durant is a two-time champion and two-time Finals MVP. With the help of Booker, Durant 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.”