Devin Booker joined some big names and passed others with his historically efficient performance in the Phoenix Suns’ 121-114 Game 3 win over the Denver Nuggets.
No matter who you are a fan of, if you were watching Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, you know you saw an incredible performance from Booker. Matching his career playoff high of 47 points, Booker was historically efficient, etching his name into the lore of the NBA and, more importantly, putting Phoenix back in the playoff series.
An incredible night the Suns season needed from D-Book
We have heard the line, teams that have gone into a 0-3 deficit have never returned to win an NBA playoff series. That is right, never, which meant, the pressure was squarely on Phoenix not to lose, and D-Booker knew this and carried the team from the start. Although Cameron Payne was the first Suns player to score, with an encouraging early layup, Booker was the second, fourth, and fifth player to score.
With bad starts killing the Suns this season and Phoenix unable to afford one, Booker was huge in the first quarter, scoring 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting. With two rebounds, two assists, and two steals, it was a monster start for Booker, but if you asked him, he’d likely say the only two that mattered were the two points Phoenix was trailing by after 12 minutes.
The only thing to slow Booker down as he tied his career playoff high was the referees, with Booker in foul trouble all evening. The same was true for Deandre Ayton; the only difference is Booker did not let the bad officiating – on both ends – impact his play, whereas Ayton seemingly quit. Ultimately, with help from Kevin Durant, as the duo scored more than 70 points, Booker’s brilliant night carried the Suns to grab the much-needed victory.
Whereas the win was critical for the Suns and may have saved this season, the performance from Booker was significant for any NBA postseason. Shooting an incredible 80% from the field was truly something to behold. While some players have been perfect from the field in the playoffs, including Chris Paul last season against the Pelicans, the difference is in the volume.
While Paul went 14-of-14 in his stellar performance against the Pelicans – an NBA record – Booker took 25 shots, making 20 on the night, putting him into some rare air.
20 Field Goals in a Playoff game are rare
In the modern era of basketball, since 1984, according to Basketball Reference, a player has made 20 field goals in a playoff game 22 times. Those 22 games have come from 12 players, which Michael Jordan making the list 8 times. Allen Iverson is second with three games of at least 20 FGs made, and Shaquille O’Neal is third, having reached the mark twice.
Four current players are on the list, with Booker, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Stephen Curry, who accomplished the feat less than a week ago. Others on the list are a who’s who of basketball greats, with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Xavier McDaniel. They are the only players to hit that many buckets in a playoff game.
Booker may have joined a list to create a dozen men who have made 20 or more FGs in a playoff game, but his path to the performance sets him apart.
Hitting 20 shots in a playoff game is a huge accomplishment in and of itself; however, the way D-Book did so was nothing short of magical.
Curry hit the same figure a week ago in the closeout win over Sacramento, but if you look at his line, Steph took 38 shots to get to his 20 makes, which was 13 more than Booker. This is where 80% shooting from the floor comes in.
For players who have taken at least 20 shots in an NBA playoff game, D-Book now sits third behind only Elton Brand, who went 18 of 22 for the Clippers against the Suns back in the 2006 playoffs, and Mike Mitchell, who hit 17 of 21 shots for the Spurs against Denver in 1985. Of course, Booker took more shots than both Mitchell and Brand and scored more points.
D-Book tops for volume efficiency
If we go back to that list of 22 games with players making at least 20 shots in the playoffs – Jordan holds the record with 24 makes – and look at the shooting percentages, we see just how great D-Book’s performance was.
Previously, Charles Barkley held the record for the highest shooting percentage in a playoff game with at least 20 field goals at 74.2% in his 56-point night against Golden State. Now Booker holds that record with his 80% shooting. So good was his performance; it was even better than Wilt Chamberlain’s most efficient volume playoff game.
Chamberlain hit at least 20 field goals five times in the playoffs, including a high of 24 – tying Jordan – back in 1960. However, his most efficient night was when he went 20 of 27 against the Knicks in 1970. Of course, if you add that Wilt went 5 of 14 from the line that night, things seem slightly different. If only Booker could go to the line 14 times, or four, that would be a different story. For now, Suns fans should enjoy the win and the wonderful, historical performance of our superstar that took us there.