Devin Booker’s 52-point night looked like a dam breaking

The superstar guard locked like himself again vs. the Pelicans.

Devin Booker was cooking early in the Phoenix Suns’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans, looking like himself again after a cold stretch.

Booker finished with 52 points on 28 shots and led the team with nine assists to just three turnovers in under 40 minutes. Before two second-half minutes had passed, Booker had already reached 40 points and a career high in 3s, finishing with eight triples.

It couldn’t come at a better time with the postseason right around the corner.

Putting aside a three-game stretch with more than 30 points in each, Booker was averaging just 20.4 points per game since returning from his ankle injury. Even when you include the three 30-point games, he shot just 28.1% on 3s.

The 52 points on 8-of-16 3s was more like what we’re used to seeing.

Booker cited playing near his old stomping grounds of Moss Point, Miss. as part of what had him going Monday.

“The crib is close, I have a lot of family in attendance. I grew up coming here, it’s the first NBA arena I’d been to,” Booker said postgame. “So there’s some history here.”

Within the first 100 seconds of the game, it was visibly clear how locked in Booker was starting with a patented elbow jumper before hitting a 3 over a close contest from likely All-Defensive selection Herb Jones.

His aggressive approach quickly opened things up for teammates when he found Kevin Durant on the opposite wing after curling over a high screen and hesitating at the 3-point line, a move that has become so lethal.

It was that early involvement that let to a pull-up 3 from Durant on the next play.

Another assist came when Booker beat C.J. McCollum with a spin, forcing the help from Jonas Valanciunas. Booker made the easy and correct play and dropped it off to Jusuf Nurkic for an easy dunk.

These easy plays for others don’t happen as frequently without moves from Devin Booker like hesitating at the 3-point line downhill from over a screen or driving at McCollum hard before spinning off him.

That assertive approach bends defenses in a way the Suns don’t achieve consistently enough.

And when he locks in defensively — like when he forced a turnover from Pelicans wing Trey Murphy — he proves that he has this extra level to go of being the best two-way player on any court.

Booker maintained the high levels of effectiveness throughout the rest of the first quarter and continued to put pressure on the defense with his self-created mid-range bag, impacting winning in other areas as well as the Suns built up a massive lead.

Booker had his stepback 3 going in the win as well, something that usually happens when he gets in the zone. Just as so much of his game had opened up other avenues, the stepback 3s opened up the opportunity to drive against a looser defense that had to respect the threat of his outside shot.

He finished the first half with 37 points — half of the team’s total — on 14-for-18 shooting with five assists (two turnovers) in 19 minutes.

Booker told AZFamily sideline reporter Amanda Pflugrad after the game that the team understands how important this matchup was, especially considering that they have another date with the Pelicans — who are still ahead of Phoenix — less than a week from now.