Devin Booker was on a mission in leading the Suns over the Clippers, 129-124, on Thursday night.
Booker marked LA for 45 points in a performance that was far more encouraging than the final score would indicate.
Booker made 3-pointers, hit his free throws and unleashed his full array of spins, twists and pivots against whatever junk defense LA coach Ty Lue chucked out. And Booker was just as aggressive defensively, getting steals, blocks and rebounds.
I’ve been watching No. 1 play for a long time, and I can’t remember him being as hungry to show who was top dog.
Kevin Durant, meanwhile, was content to let Booker read the defense and eat first.
Durant wasn’t passive, but he wasn’t primary.
And if the Suns can keep a weapon like Durant sheathed and still win, it bodes well for the rest of the playoffs.
Some will say the Suns should have won by 30 against a shorthanded Clippers squad that was missing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Maybe.
But the Clippers shipped out any notion that they would sink under the storm of injuries with a furious first quarter and nonstop effort and energy all game.
It was like watching a rattled boxer flail away with haymakers from the corner in a last-ditch effort to keep himself from getting knocked out.
Phoenix now has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
More importantly, they have momentum.
Book was on a mission.
Source: azcentral.com
