The Phoenix Suns entered play Wednesday with the second best record in the NBA following a beatdown of the Los Angeles Lakers on national TV the night prior.
The 114-104 win wasn’t without its drama, however.
With 7:10 left to play in the third quarter, Suns star Devin Booker was hit with a double technical, resulting in a questionable ejection that effectively ended his night after 24 minutes of action. He finished with 17 points, three rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The guard shared his two cents on the matter with reporters following Wednesday’s practice.
“I just couldn’t believe in such a high intense game, an important game, that it would come to that that quickly,” Booker said via Zoom. “But we have a team and it showed last night. Coach Monty [Williams] and Jae [Crowder] said after the game that we got better, so it helps to know that if stuff goes south — hopefully not in that manner again — you have a full team behind you ready to keep competing.”
Instead of riding the wave of shattered momentum that can come with an ejection of that magnitude, the Booker-less Suns dug in.
Outside of Booker, Phoenix had four players in double figures, with Dario Saric leading the way off the bench with 21 points to go along with five rebounds. He and Booker had were plus-13 on the night. Point guard Chris Paul added 10 assists and eight points.
Mikal Bridges turned in yet another strong performance as well, recording 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-6 from 3-point land). He chipped in six rebounds and five assists. Cam Johnson, who subbed in for Booker following the ejection, added nine points off the bench.
“I don’t see them falling apart. This isn’t one of those situations, this isn’t one of those teams,” Booker said. “We’ve got real hoopers, man, all the way through. I could go down and give a game breakdown of each player 1-15 but we don’t have the time for that.
“These guys can hoop. Everybody in this gym can hoop. I can truthfully say that. I know that wasn’t the best situation for me to be in, but don’t think Mikal Bridges or Cam Johnson had a frown on their face once I went out the game. That’s more opportunity and they proved that and they grew.”
The Suns will look to make it four straight victories Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors. Catch all the action live at 8 p.m. at 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
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