Devin Booker Says Chris Paul's Shoulder Injury Got Suns 'More Locked In' vs. Lakers

Devin Booker said after the Phoenix Suns' 99-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their first round series that the team buckled down after Chris Paul had to temporarily leave the game in the first half with a right shoulder injury. 

"Chris went down early, I think that got our team more locked in," he told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "To understand that every possession matters. That was a big win for us."

While Paul played 36 minutes in the win, he looked limited and hesitant to shoot after suffering the injury, finishing with seven points (3-of-8 from the field) and eight assists. 

No matter. Booker (34 points, eight assists) and DeAndre Ayton (21 points, 16 rebounds) more than picked up the slack. 

Booker in particular praised the young Ayton for his big performance.

"That's next level," Booker told reporters. "You could see it in his face pregame that he was ready to go. As a collective whole, us being on him a lot during the game, getting him prepared for this moment and he responded to it and he stepped up, so that's big-time."

The Suns more than proved the moment wasn't too big for them against the defending champion Lakers. There was some question coming into Sunday if a Suns team that was largely devoid of playoff experience would be able to rise to the occasion. 

So far, so good.