By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Devin Booker was a walking bucket for the Phoenix Suns during their 124-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the ongoing NBA regular season on April 2, 2024.
Aiming for a much-needed win to increase their chances of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, the scoring machine was all eyes on the prize and delivered 52 big points, his third time to reach the 50-point mark in the season.
Booker quickly got to his spots in the opening frame and torched the Pelicans with a barrage of three-pointers and mid-ranged pull-up jumpers.
His waxing-hot shooting steered Phoenix to a commanding 46-28 advantage after the first quarter and followed up his tremendous offensive start with another scoring avalanche in the second period to help the Suns earn a 20-point lead heading into the next half.
Despite New Orleans coming back and trimming their deficit after a solid third-quarter performance, Booker and the Suns held a steady stretch in the most crucial period of the fourth to run away with the victory.
Booker shot an efficient 19/28 from the field against the Pelicans including an 8/16 shooting from the three-point line and six made free throws.
Aside from his offensive masterpiece, Booker also facilitated his team’s offensive executions after dishing out nine assists while grabbing three rebounds.
This is the second time that Booker unleashed a 52-point performance over the Pelicans. His first 52-point game was last January 20, 2024.
During that game, Booker shot 18/30 from the field, swishing six shots from downtown while wrapping up the victory with a perfect 10/10 shooting from the charity stripe.
Kevin Durant backstopped Booker with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks while Jusuf Nurkic chipped in a dominant double-double performance of 19 points and 19 rebounds to go alongside four dimes, two blocks, and a steal.
