Devin Booker made the trip to New Orleans to support his teammates.
And even though he was ruled out due to a hamstring strain and not in hoops gear, the Suns star was still playing defense in Game 3 with a first-round series now at 2-1 in favor of Phoenix after a 114-111 road win on Friday.
A whistle blew a play dead in the first quarter, but as New Orleans’ C.J. McCollum attempted to get a practice shot out of the corner and in front of Phoenix’s bench, Booker managed to stop the opposing point guard from getting into a rhythm.
It took a little shove.
Devin Booker just came off the bench and pushed CJ McCollum in the back mid shot. How is this not a technical foul on the Suns? pic.twitter.com/zgQxkpprYs
— Steve Franklin (@MyGuySteve) April 23, 2022
And that little shove wasn’t appreciated by McCollum, who had a few words with Booker on the sideline.
Devin Booker doing his job even in street clothes as he chirps with CJ McCollum
pic.twitter.com/8AvbQUah7j
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 23, 2022
The defensive support from Booker didn’t stop McCollum from shooting. He had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting after the first quarter.
The Suns, who started forward Cam Johnson with Booker out, prioritized center Deandre Ayton early on.
Ayton scored 13 first-quarter points on seven shots after he only put up six attempts in Phoenix’s Game 2 loss.