PHOENIX SUNS

Devin Booker felt disrespected by Nuggets showing wrong picture for intro

Mar 24, 2022, 10:21 PM | Updated: Mar 25, 2022, 9:48 pm

Very few teams have had an answer as to how to stop or try to contain Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker.

But the Denver Nuggets tried a new trick on Thursday night by showing a photo of Los Angeles Clippers’ Amir Coffey on the video board when Booker was up during starting lineup announcements.

Whether it was an honest mistake or an actual ploy to get Booker off his game, it certainly didn’t work. He finished with a season-high 49 points — the most by a Sun since Jamal Crawford dropped 51 back in 2019.

“It was disrespectful. … I was laughing,” Booker told reporters postgame. “I know that was purposefully done. … It’s all fun and games but we got the last laugh and every other laugh for the last few games against them.

“It’s good marketing or good team they have over there to put that up there because it got me going for sure.”

Booker added 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals to pick up a double-double in the Suns’ 140-130 win.

He also shot 64% from the field on 16 of 25 attempts while going 2-for-5 (40%) from three and a whopping 15-of-17 (88%) from the charity stripe.

The win was not only No. 60 on the season for Phoenix, but it also clinched the No. 1 seed in the NBA and homecourt throughout the entirety of the playoffs.

And with just three more victories, the Suns would set a new franchise record for wins in a single season at 63. Phoenix went 62-20 in 1992-93 and once more in 2004-05.

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