“Was Actually For Kevin Durant”: Devin Booker Confesses Game Winner Against Bucks Was Steve Kerr’s Play

Sameen Nawathe | 25/03/2025
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) slap hands against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at Footprint Center.

The Phoenix Suns haven’t had a great season overall, but they do find some moments of magic. Case in point, their thrilling win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night. With just 5 seconds left on the clock, the Suns ran an inbound play to Devin Booker, and his pull-up mid-range jumper put the home team up 108-106 with 1.7 seconds left.

After the chaos of the game and the euphoria of the win had subsided, Booker spoke with the Suns’ local radio team, where he talked about his game-winner.

Turns out the play wasn’t even meant for Book. The Suns had to reconfigure it after the Bucks played some incredible defense on the inbound pass. The franchise’s all-time leading scorer revealed that the play was originally meant for teammate Kevin Durant and that they had learned it during their time in Paris with Steve Kerr.

But Durant had already scored 38 points on the night, and the Bucks were well aware of the threat he posed. They chose to double him defensively, allowing Booker a clean opportunity to get the ball. He claimed that he intended to get a layup to minimize the chances of missing, but some good help-side defense from Giannis Antetokounmpo forced him to pull up instead.

“The play was actually a play for KD,” he revealed. “A play that we ran in the Olympics with Steve Kerr, but they denied him. I was trying to get to the rim, but I seen him about to cut me off, so just side-stepped.”

With this win, the Suns further increased their chances of holding onto the 10th seed in the West. With the Mavericks also winning last night, the two teams have identical records, but the Suns are currently placed ahead of them.

As for the Bucks, this loss pushed them further down to 5th in the East, just two games behind the Indiana Pacers. With just about 12 games of basketball left, can they secure a home-court advantage for the playoffs?

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Devin Booker Kevin Durant Phoenix Suns Steve Kerr

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Sameen Nawathe

Sameen Nawathe is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Drawing from his extensive background in editing his university publications, Sameen brings a distinguished level of professionalism and editorial acumen to his position. With over a decade of practical sporting knowledge, he adeptly curates a spectrum of content, ranging from foundational sports highlights to insightful analysis of potential NBA trades. Sameen's passion for basketball ignited with LeBron James, whom he credits for sparking his love for the game. He fondly reminisces about James' 2018 season, which he often describes as "the best display of pure hoops we've ever seen". When he's not immersed in the world of writing or playing basketball, Sameen can be found enjoying Taylor Swift's music or passionately supporting Manchester United during soccer matches.

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