Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns wanted to wrap up their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers at home Tuesday night.
They simply wanted to avoid returning to Southern California for Game 6, especially with the Denver Nuggets having wrapped up their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Taking on an undermanned Clippers team that was without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, it wasn’t looking good for the Suns. They were up 32-30 after the first quarter. Los Angeles then outscored Phoenix by a margin of 40-29 in the second quarter to give the underdogs a nine-point halftime lead.
That’s when Booker and the Suns went absolutely nuclear in the third quarter. Phoenix dropped a resounding 50 points in 12 minutes with Booker going for 25 points by himself. The dude could not be stopped.
Phoenix ended up taking a 20-point lead early in the fourth quarter, seemingly putting this one away. However, the Clippers were not willing to go quietly into the night. They ended up pulling the game to within 130-128 with just over two minutes left on a Norman Powell And-1 before Booker hit yet another mid-range shot to give the Suns a two-possession lead.
In the end, this was enough for Phoenix to hold off a game Clippers squad by the score of 136-130 to set up a Western Conference Semifinals matchup against the Denver Nuggets. Booker was the primary reason for this.
Devin Booker stats (Game 5): 47 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 19-of-27 shooting
Talk about a brilliant all-around performance from the star guard in this one. He was scoring and rebounding while helping set up the likes of Kevin Durant (31 points) throughout the game.
By virtue of dropping 47 points, Devin Booker also topped Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley for the most 40-points games in Phoenix Suns playoff history with six.
It’s going to be a much more difficult task against a fully healthy Denver Nuggets squad starting Saturday in Colorado. However, Booker continues to prove that he’s been up to the task when it counts the most. It should be a blast of a series.