Suns’ Devin Booker looks to bounce back after shaky Finals performance

In his first taste of postseason basketball, shooting guard Devin Booker is averaging 26.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 43% from the field for the Phoenix Suns.

Throughout the Suns playoff run, Booker is showcasing his talents and letting everyone know in the basketball world that his name belongs in the conversation with the league’s best players.

Although, in a Game 3 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Booker had arguably his worst playoff performance of his young career.

The Suns shooting guard finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists on 3-of-14 attempts from the field.

“Short memory, just move on,” Booker said reflecting on Sunday’s matchup.

“Understand the task that’s at hand, and simply you just have to be better if you want to win the game. And that’s obviously something I want and something that this whole team, coaching staff, training staff want and this whole city wants.”

The Suns All-Star only had a few hiccups this season with rare lackluster performances, however, the good news is he always finds a way to make adjustments and bounce back in the very next game for his team.

Here is breakdown of Booker following up some of those less than ideal outings with a strong performance in the following game:

Dec. 29 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans
In the fourth game of the regular season, the Suns defeated the Pelicans 111-86 despite Booker having an off night. Booker ended the game shooting 3-of9 from the field and put up eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

The rebound: Dec. 31 vs. the Utah Jazz
Booker took his own advice of short memory and lit up the court against Utah in a 106-95 Suns victory. The Suns All-Star led all players in that game with 25 points, adding seven assists and three rebounds while shooting 10-of-17.

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Jan. 18 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies
On a Monday night in Memphis, Booker had a night to forget as the Suns lost to the Grizzlies, 108-104. His final stat line of the night was 12 points, three rebounds and four assists on 5-of-21 shooting from the field.

The rebound: Jan. 20 vs. the Houston Rockets
The Suns and Booker bounced back two days later against the Rockets with a 109-103 Phoenix win. In 35 minutes, Booker shot 10-of-18 and scored 24 points, collected five rebounds and dished out two assists.

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March 4 vs. the Golden State Warriors
It was a team effort as seven Suns players scored in double figures to defeat the Warriors, 120-98. Booker shot poorly from the field, going 6-of-20 and ended the night with 16 points, five assists and six rebounds as he banged knees with Kent Bazemore in the final game before the All-Star break.

The rebound: March 11 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers
Booker made some adjustments after the Warriors game and, taking the All-Star Game off, erupted for 35 points in a 127-121 victory over the Blazers coming out of the time off. The Suns guard shot 12-of-21 and added eight assists and five rebounds for Phoenix.

Phoenix currently holds a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Game 4 of the Finals is on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Fiserv Forum. Catch all the Finals action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.