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Devin Booker Says Suns Are 'Locked in' for Game 7 vs. Luka Doncic, Mavericks
May 15, 2022
Facing a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is focused on the task ahead.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday's practice, Booker said the Suns are "locked in" ahead of their first must-win game of the season.
"That's why we play the sport," he added. "We thought we had something going there [in terms of pressure] during the regular season, trying to break the franchise record, and this is a whole different beast."
Even though the series is tied 3-3, the individual games haven't been close at all. Only two games have been decided by fewer than 10 points, and the average margin of victory is 17.2 points.
The Suns won Game 5 by 30 points to take a 3-2 series lead. Dallas responded with a 113-86 win in Game 6 on its home floor.
Home teams have won all six games thus far. The Suns, as the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference, have the benefit of playing Sunday's game in front of their fans at Footprint Center.
Phoenix led the NBA with 32 home wins during the regular season. It has won five of six games on its home court in the postseason. The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Suns in Game 2 in the first round.
Sunday marks the first Game 7 in a playoff series for the Suns since the 2005-06 season. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first two rounds before losing to the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals in six games.
Chris Paul's performance could determine how the Suns fare in this game. He is averaging 9.3 points and has 18 turnovers in the past four games. The 12-time All-Star averaged 22.6 points and had a total of 13 turnovers through Phoenix's first eight playoff games.
Booker is coming off one of his worst games of the postseason. He scored 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting and committed eight turnovers in 39 minutes in Game 6. The 25-year-old scored at least 28 points and shot 55.6 percent from three-point range in three of the previous four games.
The Mavericks and Suns will play Game 7 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET with a spot in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors up for grabs.