Devin Booker tops list of five highest-scoring nights in Suns history

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker put up easily the best heat check the team has ever seen on Friday night, dropping 70 points in a 130-120 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Booker’s 70 was the sixth time in franchise history a player has 50 or more points in a game, and it was only the second time a guard has done it. The others range from previous record-holder and Ring of Honor member Tom Chambers to former bench journeyman Tony Delk.

On a night that has its place in Suns lore, some other great scoring performances deserve to be remembered.

5. Amar’e Stoudemire and Clifford Robinson, 50, January 2, 2005 and January 16, 2000

The fifth spot in the Suns’ single-game scoring rankings is shared by two former big men.

Previously, the youngest player in franchise history to score 50 or more was Amar’e Stoudemire, At 22 years and 57 days old, Stoudemire scored 50 on the Portland Trail Blazers in a 117-98 victory for Phoenix. It was a double-double for the Suns star power forward as well, as he grabbed 11 boards to go along with his scoring total.

At the time, Stoudemire called it “the tip of the iceberg”, however, 50 points ended up being Stoudemire’s career-high. Then-teammate Quentin Richardson said he looked like Wilt Chamberlain.

Another power forward, Cliff Robinson, put up 50 five years earlier. At 33, the oldest on the list, Robinson crossed the 50 mark on Jan. 16, 2000 in a 113-100 win for the Nuggets. Robinson played four seasons for the Suns and averaged 16.4 points during his Phoenix career.

4. Tony Delk. 53, January 2, 2001

A year after Robinson’s 50, another lesser-known Sun passed his mark to climb to the fourth spot on the list.

In one of only 12 starts he made for the Suns, Tony Delk scored 53 points in a 121-117 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings. That season, Delk averaged 12.3 points per game and departed from Phoenix less than a year later in the trade that brought Joe Johnson to the Valley. He finished his NBA career playing on eight different teams in 10 seasons.

Delk, like Stoudemire, did not make a three en route to his big game. He shot 20-of-27 from the floor and 13-of-15 from the foul line. ESPN’s Bill Simmons declared back in 2014 that Delk shares the trophy for “Most Random Player to Score 50 in an NBA Game with former Heat journeyman Willie Burton.

3. Tom Chambers, 56, February 18, 1990

Before Booker’s record-shattering night, the top two spots belonged to Chambers, one of the most famous players in the Suns’ lore.

Chambers’ 1989-90 season was one of the better ones the franchise has ever seen. He averaged 27.2 points and seven rebounds on 50 percent shooting.

The peak of the season came on Feb. 18, when Chambers hung 56 points on the Warriors. At the time the Suns record, the record for points against the Warriors, and a career-high.

Chambers made his first 10 shots, but finished the game shooting 19-of-29 from the floor. He made a pair of threes and shot 16-of-19 from the line, ending the Warriors’ 15-game home win streak.

It would take just over a month for Chambers to put on an even better show for Suns fans.

2. Tom Chambers, 60, March 24, 1990

Chambers finally broke the 60 threshold in a 121-98 dismantling of the Seattle Supersonics, TC’s former team. He came out roaring with 35 first half points and scored the teams first 18 points of the half. He finished the game shooting 22-of-32, all with a pulled hamstring.

Chambers also had four rebounds and six assists in the game, where only one other Suns player made it into double figures. The performance would stand as the best in Suns history for over two decades.

1. Devin Booker, 70, March 24, 2017

Twenty-seven years to the day after Chambers lit up the city of Phoenix, someone six years from being born on Chambers’ big night dethroned him from the top spot.

Booker blew the roof off the TD Garden in Boston, becoming the youngest player to score 50 or more points in NBA history. His 70 was the highest single-game total in the NBA has seen since Kobe Bryant put up 81 in 2006.

“Absolutely amazing,” Chambers said on the post-game show. “The fans were cheering for him to conitnue going and doing because they knew they were witnessing something special.”

Celtics fans cheered for Booker down the stretch, and booed for him when referees overturned a basket he made after a foul.

While it came in the midst of a forgettable season, the Suns’ young star put his name firmly in the Suns record books with an unforgettable offensive performance.