Booker hits array of milestones with 59 in defeat
Devin Booker scores 59 points on 19-of-34 shooting from the field, but the Suns falls to the Jazz 125-92. (2:34)
Devin Booker, playing like a man with nothing to lose for an injury-wracked and lottery-bound Phoenix Suns, turned in a one-man show for the ages Monday night, scoring 59 points to become the first player in NBA history with 50 in a game in which his team lost by 30 or more.
Booker also became the third player in NBA history to score 50 in a game in which no teammate reached double figures. The Suns fell 125-92 to the host Utah Jazz for their sixth loss of seven games and fourth in a row.
Booker topped his previous season high of 55, set in December in a triple-overtime loss to Washington, and scored the fourth-most points in an NBA game this season. The fourth-year guard made five 3-pointers and shot 19-for-34 despite drawing several double-teams as the Jazz sought to prevent him from reaching 60 points. He also made 16 of 17 free throws.
New Suns guard Jimmer Fredette got a standing ovation when he checked into Phoenix’s game against the Jazz in Utah. Fredette was the National Player of the Year at nearby BYU in 2010-11.
Rudy Gobert scored a season-high 27 points and set the NBA single-season dunk record to fuel the Utah Jazz to a 125-92 victory Monday night over the Phoenix Suns, who got 59 points from Devin Booker.
Thanks to Booker’s shot-making the Suns were down only 14 entering the final quarter.
Beyond Booker, the Suns were missing most of their firepower due to injury. The absence of T.J. Warren (averaging 18.0 points), Kelly Oubre Jr. (15.2), Josh Jackson (11.0) and Tyler Johnson (10.9) forced some players to be more aggressive offensively and Booker to carry a heavy load despite a lot of defensive attention.
In the process, Booker hit a dizzying array of milestones, including:
He became the fifth player to lose the first two games in which he scored 50 points, joining LeBron James, Bob McAdoo, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Redd
He became the sixth player in NBA history with multiple games of 59 or more points, joining Wilt Chamberlain (40), Kobe Bryant (6), Michael Jordan (5), Elgin Baylor (3) and James Harden (3)
He scored the fifth-most points relative to his team in a game in NBA history, with 64 percent of the Suns’ points. It was the second-highest percentage in the past 25 seasons (Kobe Bryant scored 66 percent of the Lakers’ points in his 81-point game in 2006)
He scored the most points in the 22-year history of the Vivint Smart Home Arena (the previous high was 51, held by three players: Karl Malone, LeBron James and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf).
Information from ESPN’s Stats & Information, Elias Sports Bureau and The Associated Press was used in this report.