Tag: DEVIN BOOKER
Booker on Durant: ‘His skill set for his size is second none’
On Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks(33-32) got a combined 82 points(Doncic 42, Irving 40) from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and they defeated the visiting 76ers 133-126.
On Sunday against the visiting Suns(36-29), Doncic and Irving became the first pair of Mavericks teammates to each score 30-plus points in consecutive games. Doncic had 34 points, while Irving scored 30 points.
However, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker almost did to the Mavs what Doncic and Irving did to the 76ers. Booker had 36 points, and Durant had a game-high 37, including the game-winning jumper with 14.2 seconds to go as the Suns defeated Dallas 130-126 at American Airlines Center.
“I’ve been on the other side of it,” Booker said about Durant’s shot. “I know it’s a tough cover. It’s one of those situations where no matter what you do, he’s playing with just him and the hoop out there. His skill set for his size is second none. That was another example of that tonight.”
Durant added on the final shot: “Once I had him on my hip, I felt like I was in good position to just stop on a dime.”
Mavs coach Jason Kidd showed love to Durant.
“I thought that’s what KD [Kevin Durant] does,” Kidd said. “He went away from the double team, and when he rises, he’s longer than 7 feet, and he got to his spot.”
Dallas had a chance to tie, but Doncic’s short floater rimmed out.
“I just missed that one,” Doncic said. “I thought it was in, but I just missed it. One of my friends texted me saying, ‘I would have even made that.’”
After the miss, Doncic and Booker had a little altercation, and the two went face-to-face.
However, neither Doncic nor Booker would say what words were said to cause the confrontation.
“I don’t think you can say it on camera,” Doncic said. “He was talking to me. It’s not for TV. I would get fined… It’s just a competitive game; just next time, don’t wait till there are three seconds left to talk.”
Booker, who added five rebounds and a season-high 10 assists, says he has no issues with Doncic.
“I’m not here to tattle tale,” Booker said. “I was talking to the ref. He said something to me; first, I responded. You guys [the media] always say you don’t want everyone to be ‘friendly-friendly,’ so there you go, you got some smoke. It’s just two competitors going at it. Everybody speaks on how friendly the NBA is now, and they don’t like that. I have no problem with Luka [Dončić] on or off the court, but when we’re competing, we’re competing. You guys are just trying to stir the pot. I don’t have problems with nobody.”
There is a little rivalry between the Suns and Mavs after Dallas defeated Phoenix in 7 in the Western Conference semifinals last season, and Irving can feel it.
“You see it from afar. It’s definitely different, obviously, being out here,” Irving said. “The level of play rises. Emotions rise. I think we see everyone display that on their facial expressions or communicating with the refs, going back-and-forth. At the end of the day, No one is really going to fight out there. “
With the loss, the Mavs are the seventh seed in the West. Dallas is 2-3 on their current six-game homestand, and they conclude the homestand on Tuesday night against the Jazz.
Notes:
The Suns move to 3-0 with Durant in the lineup.
-Doncic added nine rebounds and four assists, and Irving added four rebounds and seven assists.
-Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points on 6-8 shooting from 3-point range. Hardaway Jr. finished the first half with 18 points, helped by his 5-6 shooting clip from 3-point range. The first half was his highest-scoring first half of the season and tied his career-best for the most 3FG in the first half.
-Christian Wood came off the bench for 17 points on 5-7 shooting to go with three rebounds. Wood has scored 10+ points in nine straight games, averaging 15.3 points per game in that span.
Suns’ owner on acquisition of Durant: ‘Today is a transformative day for this organization’
The Phoenix Suns made a splash move and a move that could put them in a position to win an NBA title.
On Thursday, they acquired forwards Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four future first-round picks, and a pick swap.
Durant, 34, had requested a trade in the offseason but decided to stay with the Nets. However, Kyrie Irving requested a trade last week and was sent to the Dallas Mavericks, and ultimately, Brooklyn decided to move Durant.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia is excited to bring Durant and Warren to Phoenix.
“Today is a transformative day for this organization,” said Ishbia via a press release. “We are thrilled to welcome Kevin and T.J. to the Valley as we build a championship culture both on and off the court,” Ishbia added. “Not only is Kevin one of the greatest and most accomplished players in the history of the sport, but his character also embodies the world-class commitment to excellence we are instilling across every facet of this organization.”
Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager James Jones is also excited about the possibilities.
“We are elated to welcome Kevin and T.J. to the Valley,” Jones said. “Both players are dynamic scorers and fierce competitors who compete with intensity night in and night out. We’re excited to see the added value they will contribute to our team.”
Durant has been out since January 8 with a sprained meniscus and reportedly could return sometime after the All-Star break.
The Phoenix Suns are all in, and that has to be exciting for anybody associated with the team. Durant has three years left on his contract, Devin Booker signed a four-year, supermax contract extension last offseason; Deandre Ayton got a four-deal last summer, and Chris Paul has two more seasons left on his contract after this one, so again, this team is locked and loaded to go after a title for the next few seasons.
With what they added in Durant, anything short of an NBA title in the next couple of seasons would be a huge disappointment in Phoenix.
Cavs dominate Suns in the fourth to get road win
The Cavs(26-15) continued their five-game road trip in Phoenix against the Suns on Sunday night. After resting in the team’s loss to the Nuggets on Friday night, Cleveland got back their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell.
Fortunately for the Cavs, the Suns(20-21) were without their starting backcourt of Chris Paul(hip) and Devin Booker(groin), and ultimately, Cleveland led by as many as 22 points and defeated Phoenix 112-98 at Footprint Center.
With the win, the Cavs, who beat the Suns 90-88 last week at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, swept the season-series.
Cleveland has won four out of their last five, while the Suns have lost six straight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Suns.
Great:
Starting Backcourt: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland had 22 points apiece. Garland added seven assists. Mitchell and Garland combined for 44 points, and they were reunited, and it felt so good.
Jarrett Allen had his team-leading 15th double-double on Sunday with 13 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and a season-high five assists.
Shooting: Cleveland shot 57% from the field against the Suns. Cleveland made 11 threes on Sunday night, but most of their damage came in the paint, as the Cavs had 52 points in the paint.
According to Cavs Notes, this is their highest field goal percentage in any road game since 2015.
Fourth Quarter: The Cavs took an 80-79 lead into the fourth, and they took over from there. Cleveland went on a 23-4 run to take a 103-83 lead with just under four minutes to go. The Cavs shot 66% from the field in the fourth, outscored the Suns 32-19 in the quarter, and a close game became a rout!
Not So Great:
After that fourth quarter for the Cavs, there are no complaints. Turnovers(14) were a little high, but hey, they won.
Bottom Line:
In the NBA, when you have an opportunity to defeat a team that is down, you have to get the job done, and that’s what the Cavs did on Sunday night. They took advantage of a depleted Suns team.
The Cavs have reached the halfway point of their schedule, and after 41 games, here are a few things we know about this team:
-Donovan Mitchell is the real deal
-The Cavs are an outstanding home team(18-4)
-The Cavs are a mediocre road team(8-11)
-Cleveland is a great defensive team(the number one-rated defensive team in NBA)
-They are legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference and could make a deep playoff run
What’s Next:
Cleveland heads to Utah to battle the Jazz on Tuesday night as Mitchell faces off against his former team.
Best of the Rest:
Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro had 14 points apiece, and Caris LeVert had 13 points off the bench. Cleveland had six players in double figures, including all five starters.
For the Suns, Duane Washington Jr. led the Suns with 25 points off the bench, and Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
Cavs struggle but get the job done against Suns
On Wednesday night, the Cavs(25-14) defeated the Suns(20-19) 90-88 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland has won three straight, while Phoenix has lost four straight and seven of their last eight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Suns
Great:
Caris LeVert got the start for the injured Darius Garland and performed. LeVert scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth, and in the fourth, he was 4/4 from the field, including 3/3 from deep. The Cavs don’t win without the contributions of LeVert.
Donovan Mitchell did not shoot it well(6/20 from the field, including 3/12 from downtown). However, during money time, he was big. Mitchell made a three to put the Cavs up 88-85 with 40 seconds left, and with the game tied at 88, he assisted on an Evan Mobley jumper with four seconds to go! Mitchell didn’t score 71, but he still got the job done.
Raul Neto gave the Cavs a big boost off the bench. Neto scored eight of his season-high 14 points in the third and gave the Cavs life. Cleveland doesn’t win without Neto.
Not So Great:
Shooting: Cleveland could not make shots against the Suns; they finished the game shooting 39% from the field, including 30% from deep, but fortunately, Phoenix wasn’t much better as they shot 40% from the field.
First Half: Cleveland had a bad first half, scoring only 33 points, and they shot 29% from the floor, including 16% from three. Not good, but again, they won.
Bottom Line:
This was a workmanlike performance. Nothing pretty about this game, but the Cavs won. It’s really that simple. These are the wins that a good team gets. Not at your best, but you pass the test, and now the Cavs get some rest until Friday when they head to Denver to face the Nuggets as they start a five-game west coast road trip.
After this trip, we’ll learn a lot about the Cavs, who struggle on the road.
What’s Next:
Cleveland heads to Denver to face the Nuggets on Friday night.
Best of the Rest:
Chris Paul led the Suns with 25 points and eight assists; Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 15 points and 18 rebounds. All five starters for the Suns scored in double figures.
Cedi Osman had 12 points off the Cavs’ bench.
Darius Garland(thumb) missed his second straight game, and Phoenix was without their leading scorer Devin Booker(groin).
Booker to miss at least four weeks with groin strain
The Phoenix Suns will be without their leading scorer for at least a month.
On Wednesday, the Suns announced that Devin Booker had sustained a left groin strain. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks, according to the team.
Booker had recently missed six games due to hamstring and groin injuries and played only four minutes against the Nuggets on Christmas Day before being forced to leave.
The 26-year-old guard is averaging a career-high 27.1 points per contest in 29 games this season. Without Booker, reserve guard Landry Shamet will probably be the starter.
Phoenix(20-15) continues their six-game road trip in Washington against the Wizards on Wednesday night.
Suns’ Booker named Western Conference Player of the Month, Williams named Western Conference Coach of the Month
After guiding the Suns to a Western Conference-best 15-6 record to begin the season, Suns head coach Monty Williams and guard Devin Booker were both shown some love from the NBA.
Williams was named Western Conference Coach of the Month, and Booker has been named Western Conference Player of the Month for October/November, the league announced Thursday.
With Williams at the helm, the Suns currently sit atop the Western Conference standings and are now riding an NBA-best six-game win streak while holding a league-best 12-1 record at home.
This marks Williams’ fifth time winning Western Conference Coach of the Month and the fourth time with the Suns.
Booker is getting it done!
In Wednesday’s win over Chicago, Booker added six assists and four rebounds to his 51 points while shooting 20-of-25 from the field. His 51 points were the most ever scored by a Suns player inside Footprint Center. In addition, he joined James Harden (Nov. 5, 2017) as the only players over the last 25 years with 50 points on 80 percent shooting or better through the first three-quarters of a game.
Booker is averaging a career-best 29.0 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds over the first 21 games of the season while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three-point range.
The three-time All-Star has notched three double-doubles so far this season and is coming off a season-high 51-point performance on Nov. 30 against the Bulls.
The performance came two days after Booker tallied 44 points, eight rebounds, and six steals, which matched his career high, in a win at Sacramento earlier in the week. Booker averaged 47.5 points between the two games on 69.8 FG%, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 steals.
This marks Booker’s second-career Western Conference Player of the Month honor.
Report: Jokic, Booker, Towns get supermax contract extensions; Morant, Williamson get rookie max extensions
Booker gets supermax extension:
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker agreed on a four-year, $224 million supermax extension; the deal begins in 2024-2025 and brings Booker’s total contract value to six years and $295 million.
The 25-year-old Booker was named All-NBA(First Team) for the first time in his career and averaged a career-best 26.8 points per game (8th in NBA) as he earned his third-straight Al-Star appearance while helping lead the Suns to the NBA’s best record.
Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has agreed on a four-year, $224M super max extension, his agents Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. Deal begins in 2024-2025 and brings Booker’s total contract value to six years and $295M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Jokic gets supermax extension:
Denver Nuggets two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to the largest deal in NBA history – a five-year, $270 million supermax contract extension; the deal includes a player option and trade kicker; the total value of Jokic deal: six years and $303 million, according to Wojnarowski,
The reigning MVP averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.47 steals, and 0.85 blocks per game, setting career highs in each category except assists (second highest). The 27-year-old Jokic, who played 74 games and averaged 33.5 minutes, ranked sixth in the NBA in points, second in rebounds, eighth in assists, 12th steals, and 33rd in blocks per game.
The seven-year veteran became the first player in NBA history to record at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in a season and was named All-NBA First Team.
Denver Nuggets two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to the largest deal in NBA history – a five-year, $270M super maximum contract extension, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. Deal includes player option and trade kicker.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
KAT gets super max extension:
According to Woj, Minnesota Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed on a four-year, $224 million supermax extension, which begins in the 2024-25 season and delivers Towns’ total contract value to six years and $295 million.
In his seventh NBA season, the 27-year-old Towns finished the 2021-22 campaign ranked 11th in scoring (24.6 PPG), 14th in rebounding (9.8 RPG), 16th in field goal percentage (52.9%), and 17th in three-point percentage (41.0%).
The three-team All-Star was named All-NBA Third Team.
Morant gets rookie max extension:
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated rookie maximum extension that could become worth $231million, according to Wojnarowski.
Last season, the 22-year-old Morant was named All-NBA Second Team and NBA Most Improved Player after setting career highs for scoring average(27.4 points), rebounds per game(5.7 rebounds), steals per game(1.16), field goal percentage(49.3%) and 3-point percentage(34.4%).
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has agreed on a five-year, $193M designated rookie maximum extension that could become worth $231M, his agent Jim Tanner of @_TandemSE tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Williamson gets rookie max extension:
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is nearing a five-year rookie max contract extension worth up to $231 million. The commitment will take Williamson’s new deal through the 2027-28 season.
Williamson, 21, missed all of the 2021-22 season after recovering from foot surgery and has played in only 85 games in three seasons.
In 2020-21, the last time he was on the court, Williamson averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is nearing a five-year rookie max contract extension worth up to $231 million, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The commitment will take Williamson’s new deal through the 2027-28 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022
Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Doncic headline First-Team All-NBA
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum have been selected to the 2021-22 All-NBA First Team, the league announced Tuesday.
The All-NBA Second Team consists of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan.
The 2021-22 All-NBA Third Team is composed of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James , Suns guard Chris Paul , Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam.
Antetokounmpo was the only player to receive All-NBA First Team votes on all 100 ballots (500 total points), earning his fourth consecutive selection to the First Team and sixth All-NBA Team honor overall (First Team, Second Team and Third Team). This is the third All-NBA First Team selection each for Doncic and Jokic, the 2021-22 NBA Most Valuable Player. Booker is making his debut on the All-NBA Team, and Tatum joins Booker as a first-time selection to the All-NBA First Team.
With the selection of Antetokounmpo (27 years old), Doncic (23), Jokic (27), Booker (25) and Tatum (24), the All-NBA First Team is made up entirely of players age 27 or younger for the first time in 67 years (1954-55 season).
Embiid, the 2021-22 NBA scoring champion, has been named to the All-NBA Second Team for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Morant, the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player, is an All-NBA Team honoree for the first time. This is the 10th All-NBA Team selection for Durant, the eighth for Curry and the third for DeRozan.
This is the second All-NBA Team honor for both Towns and Siakam and the first for Young. James has extended his NBA record for most All-NBA Team selections to 18. Paul has been voted to the All-NBA Team for the 11th time, the second-most selections among active players behind James.
Mavs’ Doncic on winning Game 7: ‘I can’t get this smile off my face’
“Game 7 typically goes to the best player, and I believe we have that in this series. It’s going to be an exciting clash of styles.”
–Spencer Dinwiddie, Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks went into Phoenix against the Suns, who had the best record in basketball this season, looking to win Game 7 of their Western Conference second-round series Sunday night. Dallas had not won on the road in this series and have not won in Phoenix since 2019, but as Dinwiddie said, Dallas had the best player in the series, and that was the difference.
The best player in this series, Luka Doncic, scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half to go along with 10 rebounds; Spencer Dinwiddie added 21 of his 30 points in the first half. Jalen Brunson chipped in with 24 points as the Mavs defeated the Suns 123-90 at Footprint Center to advance to the Western Conference Finals to battle the Golden State Warriors.
The trio of Doncic, Dinwiddie, and Brunson combined for 89 points.
Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is Wednesday night at Chase Center.
Doncic and the Suns had the same amount of points(27) at the half. Dallas led by 30 at the break(57-27) and had their largest lead of 46 points in the third. Dallas, who was down 2-0 in this series, defeated the Suns by an average of 30 points in Games 6 and 7.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Mavericks’ 33-point win over the Suns was the second-largest win in a series-clinching game versus the best team in the NBA in league history.
Dinwiddie was right about Doncic being the best player in this series as he scored more points than Devin Booker, grabbed more rebounds than Deandre Ayton, dished out more assists than Chris Paul, and had more steals than Mikal Bridges.
Doncic could not stop smiling after beating the Suns in Game 7.
“I can’t get this smile off my face,” he said. “I’m just really happy. Honestly, I think we deserved this.”
Dallas played one of its better games of the season, while the Suns played their worst. Booker(11) and Paul(10) combined for only 21 points, including three points at halftime. In addition, Phoenix shot only 24% in the first half, including 21% from deep.
Phoenix couldn’t make shots; they couldn’t stop the Mavericks, and in the end, they wasted a 64-win season.
“That was good old fashion a** whipping,” Booker said.
Suns head coach Monty Williams added: “I know they didn’t want to play that way. We basically played the worst game of the season tonight. That group has a lot of character and integrity, and I know how bad they wanted it.”
The Suns will look back at this series and this season and be very disappointed. At 37, Paul, who is only getting older, looked worn down in this series. In addition, they’ll have to figure out what they will do with Deandre Ayton, who can be a restricted free agent and played only 17 minutes Sunday night. The main goal for Phoenix was to return to the Finals and win a championship. Obviously, that’s not happening.
Regarding the Mavs, they’re playing good defense and getting stellar play from Doncic. They have a legitimate shot at beating the Warriors as they won the season series 3-1. The Mavs will compete, and we’ll see if they can go back to the NBA Finals for the time since 2011.