Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was the best player in Friday's Game 3 win over the Denver Nuggets. Booker scored 47 points on an incredibly efficient 20-of-25 shooting from the field. Perhaps most impressive about Booker's performance was that he nearly reached the 50-point mark while only taking two free throws. The Suns' guard finally got to the line in the final seconds of the 121-114 victory when the Nuggets were forced to foul Denver in a last-ditch effort to make a comeback.
“It's a great question and I have no answer,” Devin Booker told reporters when asked why he didn't get to the free-throw line until the very end of Game 3.
"It's a great question and I have no answer."
Devin Booker when asked about having 0 free throw attempts until 6.6 seconds left in Game 3 😂
(via @TrevorMBooth) pic.twitter.com/B6XusEyEbQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 6, 2023
Most of Booker's damage came as a jump shooter. Only two of his field-goal attempts in Game 3 came inside the restricted area. Booker went five-of-eight from 3-point range. He also made seven two-point field goals outside of the paint.
The same was true in the Suns' Game 2 loss. Booker scored 35 points on 14-of-29 shooting. He only took three free throws.
Kevin Durant had no trouble getting to the line in Game 3. His 14-of-16 shooting from the free-throw line helped Durant overcome a 12-of-31 performance from the field. The Suns' stars combined to score 86 points, keeping Phoenix alive against the Nuggets in the series.
Booker has arguably been the best player in the entire 2023 NBA Playoffs. He's outplayed Durant, who's struggled at times with his shooting and committing turnovers. Booker is averaging 36.9 points on 60.2% shooting in eight playoff games.
Booker is taking 6.0 free throws per game.
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