BBNBA: Devin Booker is a cheat code; lifts Suns to Game 4 win

AdamStrattonKSR

Kobe Bryant once told Devin Booker, “Be legendary.” In this year’s NBA playoffs, Book has taken his idol’s words to heart and done some serious legend-building.

Booker started the playoffs on fire, and the flames of his greatness have only raged more since. Down 0-2 to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, Book has put up NBA2K-style numbers in the last two games to propel the Phoenix Suns to a 2-2 series tie. In those contests, Booker has only missed nine times out of his 43 shots for a total of 83 points.

In Game 4 on Sunday, Book scored 36 of those points and added 12 assists and six rebounds as well. And he did it on 14-18 shooting, bringing his two-game total to an unconscionable 34-43, or 79%.

He leads the playoffs in points per game, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage. For players shooting over 60% from the field, he has 331 points. The next closest is Rudy Gobert with 75.

Booker’s performance overshadowed impressive outings from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The Blue Arrow had 28 points on what would be an impressive 13-25 shooting for a normal human being if not juxtaposed with Booker’s alien numbers. Murray hit multiple spinning fallaway jumpers and continued to remind everyone he is not too bad himself.

Meanwhile, Jokic put up 53 points as the Suns had no answer for him the Serbian behemoth. But as Book said after the game, “[Jokic] can have 50 all he wants as long as we get the win.”

The Suns will travel back to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Tyrese Maxey, 76ers eek by the Celtics in Game 4

It was a frenetic and exciting finish to regulation and then again at the final buzzer but Philadelphia held on to defeat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by a point on Sunday and tie the series 2-2.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 14 points (third most on his team) to go along with eight rebounds (five offensive) and a steal. Maxey did not put up Booker-style numbers, but he played 45 minutes in the 76ers’ overtime win.

Pennsylvania native and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Micah Parsons, was in attendance for the game repping a Maxey jersey, which earned a bro hug from Tyrese (who is originally from Texas) during warm-ups. Real recognize real.

In the end, it was a breakout game for James Harden, who had been struggling a bit in the playoffs, that helped ensure the victory for the 76ers. After the game, Maxey offered his expertise on the subject when he said, “James Harden is good at basketball.”

The 76ers will now head back to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday.

5/7/2023 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
Devin Booker (PHO)	129-124 W vs. DEN	36	14-18 (3-4)	12	6	1	0	5	40	-1
Jamal Murray (DEN)	124-129 L vs. PHO	28	13-25 (1-3)	5	7	1	0	0	42	+5
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	116-115 W (OT) vs. BOS	14	6-17 (2-6)	8	1	2	1	1	45	0