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Devin Booker leads Phoenix Suns to victory over Oklahoma City Thunder, becomes all-time 3-point leader
Devin Booker recorded 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help the Phoenix Suns post a 124-115 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night
Led by Devin Booker's 25 points, the Phoenix Suns claimed a 124-115 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. The Suns extended their winning streak to 12 in 16 games, with notable performances from Chris Paul and Josh Okogie who added 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Deandre Ayton also contributed to the team's win with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Cameron Payne scored 14 points.
Despite Isaiah Joe scoring 28 points and rookie Jalen Williams adding 22 points for the Thunder, the team lost for the second consecutive night. Luguentz Dort and Tre Mann scored 17 and 11 points respectively, and Jaylin Williams scored 10 points.
Oklahoma City All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sidelined due to left hip and right ankle injuries, which contributed to the Thunder's defeat. Booker's 1,052nd career 3-pointer saw him surpass Steve Nash (1,051) as the Suns’ all-time leader in 3-pointers.
The Suns' next game may feature Kevin Durant, who watched from the Phoenix bench, as he may make his Suns debut on Sunday at Milwaukee or on Wednesday at Charlotte. Payne, who had missed the previous 21 games due to a foot injury, made three 3-pointers to help secure the team's win.
Overall, the Suns connected on 46.7% of their basket attempts and 14 of 38 (36.8%) from 3-point range, while the Thunder made 43.6% of their shots and were 15 of 37 (40.5%) from behind the arc.
At halftime, the Suns led 65-60, with Okogie scoring 15 first-half points and Joe scoring 21 on 8-of-11 shooting for Oklahoma City. In the third quarter, the Suns scored the next 11 points, with Ayton scoring the final five to establish an 85-78 lead with 4:34 left.
Later in the quarter, the Thunder managed to reduce the deficit to six points before Booker's put-back and milestone 3-pointer widened the gap to 121-110 with 2:08 remaining in the game.
