Devin Booker Astounds NBA Fans with 52 Points as Durant, Suns Win vs. Zion, Pelicans

Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker was in a bit of a shooting slump over the last couple of games, but he ended it in a big way in Monday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Booker poured in 52 points and nine assists on 19-of-28 shooting with a career-high eight three-pointers to lead the Suns to a 124-111 road win over the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. It's his third straight 50-point game against New Orleans, joining the legendary Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to record three consecutive 50-point games against a single opponent.

It was clear that it was going to be a special night for Booker from the jump. He scored 37 points in the first half alone, 24 of which came in the first quarter. He scored just 31 combined points on 34.6 percent shooting in his previous two games.

The win was much-needed for Phoenix, which now sits one game behind New Orleans for the sixth spot in the tightly-contested playoff race in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant added 20 points and Jusuf Nurkic notched 19 points and 19 rebounds. Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting.

However, the night belonged to Booker, and fans on social media were left in awe by his performance on Monday night:

The Suns were expected to be one of the top contenders in the West, but injuries and inconsistency made things difficult for them this season. Fighting its way out of the play-in tournament is not what Phoenix had hoped for, but the team is hoping to find a groove as the regular season winds down.

Booker's big night is a step in the right direction, as the Suns will need him to be at his best if they hope to make a deep playoff run.

Phoenix will try to keep the momentum going when it hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.