Williams admitted after the 2021 Finals that Booker played through a hamstring injury in Game 3.Ī 39-25 third quarter from the Nuggets was the first time on Tuesday they looked like the terrific group they’ve been for the majority of this series. It is not unlike him to play through stuff at this stage of the season. Booker gave his usual response of feeling fine but when asked on the specifics of the play in the third quarter, he said everyone is dealing with something in the playoffs and referred to “a little bruise.” Williams said postgame they think Booker is OK and wouldn’t have had him out there if he wasn’t. Williams kept him in as Denver extended its lead to 21 late in the third. At that point, he should have been pulled.

It wasn’t good considering those explosive movements to attack off the bounce have made him the best player in the postseason. He had a fall in the first quarter that appeared to be an issue with his foot or ankle, so it’s unclear if that was him tweaking that again or something else.Įither way, his burst was gone after the steal attempt. Booker was 1-for-8 in the third quarter, and when he broke in a sideline-to-sideline sprint to try to steal a transition pass, he came up laboring. The Nuggets put Aaron Gordon on him in the third quarter for spurts and that was a good move. It was the type of game we’ve seen before when Booker senses it’s going to have to be only him and he just goes for it. Then Landry Shamet had to start the second half Tuesday because of the need for offense off the double teams, and two minutes into the half, Cam Payne was pulled, too. Suns head coach Monty Williams found the right supporting cast in Phoenix. Denver went on a 7-0 run in the opening two minutes and the deficit grew to 16 another 120 seconds later. Phoenix was down 15 with a minute remaining in the first quarter but a dismal second quarter from Denver (27.2% shooting) allowed the Suns to creep back into the game and trail by just three at halftime.īut as the second half got underway, the Suns’ lack of playoff-level execution reared its head yet again. Durant said after the loss Tuesday he could have taken some better looks in the opening frame. He was the offense.ĭurant will scan the box score during his postgame press conferences, and he said after Game 4 that 19 shots attempts told him his flow within the offense was in a good spot.

It was not within the flow of the offense. He attempted 16 shots in a first half in which he only got two seconds of rest. In addition, Durant missed seven of his first eight shots and his desire to get them back returned.

“They played well at home like they have all year. “From the start, they came out (and) they were more physical than us from the beginning,” Booker said. When factoring in the context, it was arguably Phoenix’s worst first quarter of the year. On Tuesday, the Suns’ superb attention to detail and effort in the little areas like transition defense, halfcourt rotations and finding a body for rebounds was lacking immediately. The home team has always looked like the far better unit. The Suns’ playoff exit last year involved two totally different Phoenix teams depending on if they were at home or on the road, except for Game 7. Warren, he got near nothing from his teammates.Īnd the group as a whole completely lost its cohesion it discovered in Phoenix that looked like the Suns clicking into place both offensively and defensively. He was still really, really freaking good but outside of some solid moments for Kevin Durant and T.J. And in a testament to how out-of-this-world Booker has been the last month, his efficient 19 points with four rebounds and three assists in the first half was the worst form he’s been in lately. Phoenix lost Game 5 in Denver on Tuesday 118-102, putting it down 3-2 and facing elimination. Nuggets' Nikola Jokic daps up Suns owner Mat Ishbia prior to Game 5Īnd here we are, on the road again.

Phoenix suns devin booker