The Phoenix Suns required a dominant 4th quarter to defeat the Washington Wizards in their last home game. Following the win, the team’s head coach, Frank Vogel revealed the conversation with Devin Booker which potentially changed the course of the match.
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Ahead of the fourth quarter, the Suns were trailing by eight points as Frank decided to put his faith in the shooting guard. “Devin and I talked at the timeout and he had a tough first three quarters but that was all behind,” the 50-year-old mentioned in the post-match interview.
“It was time for him to take over,”
Vogel added as the team relied on Booker to snatch a victory in front of the home supporters.
Frank Vogel said he told Devin Booker it was “time to take over” after a rough 3 quarters.
Booker scored 11 of his 27 in the 4th of 112-108 win. #Suns pic.twitter.com/YWcBc4LM53
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 18, 2023
Eventually, the belief paid off as the 27-year-old scored 11 of his 27 points in the final 12 minutes of the match. With the help of it, the Arizona-based franchise outscored their opponents with a scoreline of 31-19 in the fourth quarter. Despite a misfiring night, Devin left the court with a stat line of 27-4-8 in 41 minutes after assisting his side to its fourteenth win of the season.
Thus, following Frank’s comments, the 3x All-Star candidly shared his view on the instance, crediting most of it to its NBA experience. “I’m in Year 9. I’ve seen a lot of situations. I’ve been through funks before,” he highlighted while showing self-belief. The Suns’ star added,
“I always figure it out when it’s time to do what we gotta do”.
Devin Booker on turning it around after struggling for 3 quarters: “I’m in Year 9. I’ve seen a lot of situations. I’ve been through funks before, and I always figure it out when it’s time to do what we gotta do.” pic.twitter.com/Sv9OX4SsiB
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) December 18, 2023
Despite the comeback, a bigger set of tasks awaits Devin Booker and his team
The franchise will play both their upcoming two games away from home. First, they will face the Portland Trail Blazers in Oregon before going up against the Sacramento Kings in California. So, these matches are set to bring them two entirely different sets of challenges right before Christmas.
Amidst the obstacles, the team has a lot to work on in a short period. The game against the Wizards highlighted their shortcomings in the scoring department. Both their superstars, Kevin Durant and Booker have had an off-night compared to their usual standard. While the guard went 10/24 from the field with 3/11 from behind the arc, the forward registered 11/24 from the field going 0/2 from behind the arc.
So, the upcoming games are bound to be difficult for the Suns considering their current inconsistency. As the team looks to improve its record and position on the conference table, the next figures could be worth keeping an eye on.
