Devin Booker collected 25 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in a record-setting night to help the Phoenix Suns post a 124-115 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, February 24, (Saturday, February 25, Manila time).
Booker buried his 1,052nd career three-pointer late in the contest to pass legendary Steve Nash (1,051) as the Suns’ all-time leader.
Kevin Durant (knee) watched from the Phoenix bench, but he could make his Suns debut on Sunday at Milwaukee or on Wednesday at Charlotte.
Chris Paul scored 16 points and Josh Okogie added 15 as Phoenix won for the 12th time in 16 games.
Deandre Ayton registered 14 points and 11 rebounds for his 30th double-double of the season, Cameron Payne also scored 14 points for the Suns.
Isaiah Joe scored 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-12 success from three-point range, for Oklahoma City, which lost for the second straight night. Rookie Jalen Williams added 22 points for the Thunder.
Luguentz Dort amassed 17 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Tre Mann had 11 points, and Jaylin Williams contributed 10.
Oklahoma City All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was scratched before tip-off due to left hip and right ankle injuries. Gilgeous-Alexander entered Friday as the league’s fifth-leading scorer at 31 points per game.
Ish Wainwright added 10 points for Phoenix, which connected on 46.7% of its field-goal attempt and 14-of-38 (36.8%) from three-point range. Payne made three triples after missing the previous 21 games due to a foot injury.
The Thunder made 43.6% of their shots and were 15-of-37 (40.5%) from behind the arc.
Okogie scored 15 first-half points as the Suns led 65-60 at the break. Joe scored 21 on 8-of-11 shooting in the half for Oklahoma City.
Jaylin Williams buried back-to-back three-pointers to give the Thunder a 78-74 lead with eight minutes left in the third quarter. The Suns rattled off the next 11 points with Ayton scoring the final 5 for an 85-78 lead with 4:34 left in the quarter.
Terrence Ross nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Phoenix a 94-87 lead entering the final stanza.
The Suns’ lead was 106-92 with 9:33 remaining in the game after Payne buried a trey and followed with a basket.
The Thunder scored 6 straight points later in the quarter to move within 6 before Booker scored on a putback and added the milestone three-pointer to make it 121-110 with 2:08 left. – Rappler.com
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