Devin Booker was held scoreless in the first half of the Phoenix Suns’ 99-83 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Friday’s NBA Cup at Paycom Center. It was the first time since 2019 that Booker failed to score in a half and had an interesting response when asked about it postgame.
“They were trapping me,” Booker said. “If we make some shots early, we’re getting some good looks. I’m not in the business of trying to go score over double and triple teams. You want to make the right play and hopefully, we can make shots. Make them pay.”
Booker, who didn’t even attempt a shot in the second quarter, also stated he didn’t feel the urge to go get a basket to just get his team going. The 28-year-old stated that the days of him forcing up shots while being double and triple-teamed are behind him now and he’s only focused on making the right play.
I’ll never be too critical of a player for making the right play, but you have to factor in the circumstances here. With both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal out injured, the Suns needed Booker to be more aggressive as a scorer, especially on a night when the role players were struggling. He decided against it, though, and his team got blown out.
Booker, who was 0-6 at halftime, finished the game against the Thunder with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. He went 2-10 from the field and 8-8 from the line, and it was just a miserable night for the four-time All-Star.
With this loss to the Thunder, the Suns have dropped to 9-4 in this 2024-25 season and are 0-1 in the Cup. They have now lost three of their last four games and are struggling to cope with Durant’s absence.
The Suns take on the Minnesota Timberwolves next at Target Center on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET and it’ll be the first time the teams meet since they faced off in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Timberwolves, of course, swept the Suns in that series and I expect them to get another win on Sunday.
As for the Thunder, they improved to 11-2 on the season with this win. They sit atop the standings in the West and will face the Dallas Mavericks next at Paycom Center on Sunday at 7 PM ET.
Devin Booker Famously Complained About Being Double-Teamed In 2019
While Booker faced some criticism for his poor performance against the Thunder, he made matters worse with those postgame comments. The reason? Well, Booker famously complained about being double-teamed in a pickup game in 2019.
Booker: "We not doubling in open gym. I get that s–t all season. … Let’s work on our game, bro."
Joakim: "Yeah, we are. It’s part of the game."
(via @swishcultures_) https://t.co/mAM9K84d6u
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 20, 2019
Booker certainly didn’t win over fans with his complaining back then and these recent comments haven’t gone down well either. When you are considered to be a superstar, you’re supposed to carry the team on your back when things get tough. Booker didn’t do it against the Thunder and it will be interesting to see if he is more aggressive against the Timberwolves, who gave him plenty of headaches in the playoffs.
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