After missing the last three games of the Phoenix Suns' playoff series with a strained right hamstring, guard Devin Booker is set to make his return tonight in Game 6 against the New Orleans Pelicans. As if not being on the court wasn't motivation enough for Booker, a trash-talking Pelicans fan with a vulgar t-shirt has only stoked the fire.
Devin Booker tells me he’s ready to go after pre-game workout. Possible extra motivation? Booker brings “F*** Jae Crowder” t-shirt into the Suns’ locker room. The All-Star and Suns assistant Jarrett Jack also seemed energized by a trash talking Pels fan during workout. pic.twitter.com/OoRiujAmXR
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 28, 2022
After being labeled as questionable ahead of reporting to the arena, Booker took to the court for pregame warm-ups to give his leg one final test before making a decision on playing tonight. Pain aside, the choice had to have been easy after a Pelicans fan engaged Booker and Suns assistant coach Jarrett Jack during the workout. That, coupled with a t-shirt that Booker found that read “F*** Jae Crowder”, seemingly energized the two as they left the court. Booker could be seen taking the shirt into the Suns' locker room.
Article Continues BelowThe Suns enter tonight's matchup up 3-2 over the Pelicans, despite not having their superstar shooting guard for the last three games where they were able to take two out of three.
Crowder, who has his name emblazoned on the aforementioned shirt, seemed unphased by the chants and attire, saying they serve as “motivation”.
“It's tough to block out 20,000 people, but you let it fuel you,” Crowder said. “It's motivation. Obviously, you're on the road. You know what you're coming into, but I know who to lean on, and that's my teammates. Whenever things get hard, we talk about leaning on one another and being there for one another and I think when you go on the road and you go into a hostile environment, you try to lean on those guys, but you use all that stuff as motivation, and give you more purpose to play the game with the team, with the crowd into it.”