Devin Booker Comes Alive in Crunch Time to Gut Knicks – 3 Takeaways as Suns Render Jalen Brunson’s Heroics Futile

The Phoenix Suns kept their winning streak alive as they claimed their 7th straight on Sunday night. The Kevin Durant-less team took on the New York Knicks in an away game. While it seemed like an easy winner for the Valley side initially, the NY side almost snatched the victory in the final moments of the game. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle brought out their A-game at the crunch moments to give the Knicks a chance at the game. However, Devin Booker pulled off a ripper at the end to seal the game for the Suns.

Let’s find out three key takeaways from the game.

1. Devin Booker makes up for a disastrous start

27-year-old Devin Booker took up the role to shoulder the team offensively in the absence of Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for the star initially. He could only drop 8 points in the first half, shooting at a poor 2-8 FG. However, it didn’t continue in the next half, as he channelized excellence during the crunch moments.

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Especially, when only 20-odd seconds were left in the game with scores tied at 113, Booker dropped a game-winning three-pointer, leaving only one second in the game clock. He ended the game with 28 points against his name.

2. Julius Randle brings the Knicks back into the game

The Suns led the game for the majority of the occasions. Notably, the Suns went into the locker room for the first half break with an 8-point deficit. However, it was Julius Randle, who pulled back the game for the Knicks in the third quarter. He dropped 28 points, out of which 17 points came in the third quarter.

The star forward set the stage for the last quarter. Importantly, the franchise leader, Jalen Brunson also played a huge, dropping 35 points. He also dropped crucial buckets in the last quarter to keep the game alive, especially the jumper at the end tie the game.

3. The Suns have a bucket in Eric Gordon

While KD and Bradley Beal were not available to share the burden, it was Eric Gordon who supported Booker. He dropped a crucial 25-pointer with a brilliant 6-9 shooting record from the arc. Notably, he scored 20 points in the last game as well. These instances directly reply to the lack of depth criticisms laid on the Suns before the start of the season.

The Valley side has begun to look lethal in the west. Moreover, the team has yet to play with a fully healthy roster. The ‘Big-3’ KD, D-Book, and Bradley Beal are yet to debut together in the Suns’ threads. As the management decided to provide enough time to Beal to recover from his back strain, He might return to the court only during the latter half of December. Until then, the Suns can work on their depth.

What do you make of Devin Booker’s game-winner despite a poor show in the beginning? Let us know in the comments below.

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