Booker silences OKC with game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer: Suns beat Thunder

Devin Booker wins the game with a game-winning three-pointer

After Jalen Williams’ tie with 8.2 seconds remaining, Devin Booker kept his cool. He knew the final play would be his in Sunday’s matchup against the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

I’ve been here before. In my imagination and summer training, it always comes to these moments. I feel like I’ve already been through this.

Devin Booker

Booker, with extensive experience in similar situations, made his ninth basket to take the lead in the last five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. Since Booker entered the league in 2015-16, only DeMar DeRozan has scored more shots of this type. On Sunday, Booker followed up his recent triumph with an isolation shot against Alex Caruso, one of the league’s most prominent perimeter defenders.

I assume they liked the matchup they had.

Jordan Ott, Suns coach

Booker, who finished with 24 points, received the pass from mid-court and dribbled towards the Suns logo before attacking. He performed a right-to-left crossover between his legs, took a hard bounce to the left, and launched the fadeaway shot over the defense of Caruso and the double team of Luguentz Dort.

You can’t get to the point in the road where you give an All-Star, All-NBA caliber player, the opportunity to win the game.

Alex Caruso

The only detail was that Booker was looking to run out the clock after the launch. Ajay Mitchell, from Oklahoma City, missed a rushed three-pointer at the buzzer, sealing the victory for the Suns.

We accept it.

Devin Booker

It was a significant victory for the Suns (21-14) against the current champions. Phoenix lost their first two encounters against Oklahoma City (30-6), including a 49-point defeat without Booker in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, the most uneven game of the season.

Obviously, they are everyone’s target. They are the champions and they are experienced. They are a very good team, so that’s who you want to measure yourself against. And we all believed in it.

Devin Booker

On Sunday night, the Suns overcame an 18-point deficit, giving Booker the chance to score the winning shot.

They play hard. They play together. In this league, when you play hard and you play together every night, you give yourself a chance. And then you add the talent and the personnel, they’re a good team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Backup guard Jordan Goodwin had a stellar role in Phoenix’s comeback, scoring a career-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-13 from three-point range. He took advantage of the attention that Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense paid to Booker, who assisted Goodwin on four of his nine assists and helped set up two other Goodwin baskets.

Many of the corner threes that Goody had were because our superstar passes the ball. The generosity of the group starts with the best player. Being able to keep making the right play empowers his teammates. He keeps making the right play and, at the end of the night, the ball is going to come back to him.

Jordan Ott, Suns coach