Without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal due to calf injuries, the Phoenix Suns shot their second-lowest field goal percentage in franchise history (29.3%) in a 99-83 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Thunder, who boast the league’s best defense, hounded the Suns all night. In particular, they were able to really key in on Devin Booker, who went scoreless in the first half and finished with a season-low 12 points on 2-of-10 shooting..
This was Booker’s first time scoring 0 points in a first half since Dec. 23, 2019 (via PHNX’s Gerald Bourguet, Stathead).
Booker, who was a minus-29 on the night in 34 minutes, addressed his scoreless half postgame.
“They were trapping me,” Booker said (via The Arizona Republic‘s Duane Rankin). “If we make some shots early, we were 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 make shots and make them pay.”
"They were trapping me, If we make some shots early. I'm not in the business of trying to go score over double and triple teams."
Devin Booker scoreless 1st half in Suns loss to OKC. 12 pts. minus-29
On getting a bucket to get team going. "I left those in my early years." #Suns pic.twitter.com/ircTfa0vho
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 16, 2024
The Suns (9-4) have now gone 1-3 without Durant and dropped the last two without Beal. Durant and Beal will also be out for Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the last matchup of the Suns’ four-game road trip.
With the lack of offense on the floor without these two, Booker was asked if there is an urgency for himself to try to “get a bucket” no matter what when the offense is stalling.
“Nah, I left those in my early years,” Booker said. “If you look at the championship teams, you need four or five guys out there that are threats and you make people pay for putting two on the ball. You get off it, get an open shot on the backside. We had some open looks, we just didn’t make any of them.”
Booker totaled four assists and four turnovers for the game and had 11 potential assist opportunities (via NBA.com), as the Thunder double and triple teamed him all night.
“I probably generated more open looks than what I shot, and there’s going to be nights like this,” Booker said. “Obviously, we’re down some people, so they’re throwing two or three people at me, but I just need to continue making the right play.”
Now in his 10th year in the NBA, Booker is averaging 22.5 points on 42.3% shooting (34.0% 3-point shooting) and 6.6 assists in Phoenix’s 13 games this season, leaving some fans worried given he hasn’t averaged this few of points and shot this poorly since his first two NBA seasons. However, there are still a lot of games left in the season.
The Suns and Booker simply need to find a way to get him in rhythm without Durant and Beal or their losing streak will likely continue.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
