mobile app bar

“Luka Doncic shoots 42.9% guarded by Devin Booker, other way around is 72.2%”: Mavericks and Suns guards are going all-in against each other with latter coming out better

Akash Murty
Published

“Luka Doncic shoots 42.9% guarded by Devin Booker, other way around is 72.2%”: Mavericks and Suns guards are going all-in against each other with latter coming out better

Devin Booker and Luka Doncic by some miracle or influence by some of the greatest point guards by their side have become defensive leaders at their position.

Devin Booker became one of the best scorers in the NBA in the last few years, averaging well over 25 points a game for the last five seasons or so. But the 6’5 shooting guard might have become the best at that position since the Point God joined his side.

Since Chris Paul’s arrival, Booker’s defensive game has taken a steep upward climb with no comprise in his offensive game. The 6-time steals leader and arguably the greatest point guard of all-time certainly has done his bit in helping Booker ascend his game to the level he’s in.

Also read: “Chris Paul has 31 Points, 17 TURNOVERS, and 15 FOULS in the last FOUR games!”: NBA Twitter reacts as Suns’ Point God seems to have fizzled out against Luka Doncic and co.

Some of the best defensive guards in the league like Jrue Holiday have defensive ratings lesser than D’Book in the regular season. While he is the top defensive two-guard in the league, he also ranked top-20 in defense among all players in the league.

There is another guard who much like Booker has been criticized for being a hollow scorer since the start of his career, but has shown this year that he could do it on both ends of the floor. And Booker has been playing against him in the Western Conference Semi-finals.

Devin Booker has an edge over Luka Doncic which might decide the series for both the teams

Luka Doncic, surprisingly enough, is the 7th best defensive rated player this season, just above Paul who’s at 8th, and the DPOY Marcus Smart who’s at 9th. Jason Kidd‘s influence you say? That must not be wrong.

What has separated him and Booker in this 3-3 tied series, though, is the latter’s success in defending the former. Booker is stopping Luka Magic to just 42.9% shooting while himself scoring 72.2% of his shots when the Mavericks guard is defending him.

This will play a massive role in Game 7 as both teams have blown each other apart in their homes and Devin Booker and Co await the Dallas Mavericks to arrive at the Footprint Center on Sunday to settle the series and move on to the Western Conference Finals where the Warriors are waiting for the winner of the two.

Also read: “Luka Doncic alone is better than Chris Paul and Devin Booker combined!”: Nick Wright choses Mavericks to go on the road and beat Suns in Game 7

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

x-iconfacebook-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Read more from Akash Murty

Share this article