Kevin Durant, Booker Amaze Fans as Suns Shrug Off Chris Paul Injury to Beat Nuggets
Devin Booker dropped 47 points on 20-of-25 shooting and Kevin Durant added 39 points to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 121-114 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Friday night.
Despite missing star point guard Chris Paul because of a groin injury, the Suns cut their 2-0 series deficit in half.
Booker in particular was nothing short of sensational.
Booker's 27 points by halftime helped Phoenix take a 67-52 lead, but Denver roared back in the third quarter, outscoring the Suns 36-23 and even taking one-possession leads at multiple points.
The Nuggets notably led 88-85 late in the third, but Phoenix responded with a 14-0 run keyed by seven Booker points.
Denver hung around and cut the gap down to 112-107 with 2:05 left on Michael Porter Jr.'s and-1 poster dunk:
However, a T.J. Warren floater and this Booker scoop put the Suns up nine and all but sealed the game:
Booker rounded out the stat sheet with nine assists, six rebounds and three steals. Durant had an off shooting night (12-of-31) but hit 14 of 16 free throws and scored 11 fourth-quarter points. Jamal Murray led Denver with 32 points, while Nikola Jokić added a 30-point, 17-assist, 17-rebound triple-double.
This game was all about Booker's amazing night and Durant's tremendous output, however, as the Suns got back in the series.
Phoenix will host Game 4 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
