Phoenix Suns blew out Oklahoma City Thunder last night while Devin Booker became the 7th youngest player to amass 10K career points.
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Phoenix Suns tied the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the NBA with a huge win against OKC. They established a 10-point lead in the first quarter and the Thunder was unable to get past it. In fourth Suns destroyed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co by restricting them to just 16 points and that sealed the game.
The scoring distribution for Suns was excellent as 6 players ended the night in double digits. Devin Booker tied his season-high with 38 points on 50% FG. In addition, he had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks to top it off. He was the leading scorer of the night and crossed the 10K career points mark as well.
Devin Booker believes he’d be a 12K right now if not for coach Hornacek.
After the historic night, Booker addressed the media and reflected on his career so far and the 10k milestone. “Honestly, this one means a lot. I think 10k is better than the 5, 6,7. I feel like it’s a real milestone that I hit.”
Devin Booker entered the league in 2015 and soon established himself as a great volume scorer. He has seen the highs and the lows with the Phoenix Suns. They went from having the worst record in the NBA to 8-0 the bubble and making it to the finals in the subsequent season.
Devin Booker on being the 7th-youngest to hit 10,000 career points: “Honestly, this one means a lot. I think 10k is better than the 5, 6,7. I feel like it’s a real milestone that I hit.”
Then he joked: “If Hornacek put me in more, I’d be at about 12 right now.”
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 30, 2021
He hilariously called out Suns former head coach Jeff Hornacek for not giving enough playing time in his rookie season. Although he meant it as a joke, there was some truth to it. Book averaged only 13.8 points the year Hornacek was his coach.
After he was fired the following year, Devin saw an increase in playing time and started every game. There was a huge jump in his averages without compromising the efficiency. He would’ve hit 12K by now easily if he played 35+ minutes in his rookie year as well.
Phoenix Suns were thought to be extremely lucky to reach the NBA finals last year. However, this season has put an end to that perception altogether. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton are proving to be a formidable trio in the west.
