Heading into last night’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Devin Booker was in the kind of shooting funk that makes you double-check the box score. Over his previous 12 games, the Suns’ star guard had been ice cold-hitting just 39.8% from the field and a rough 21.2% from beyond the arc. And while Booker’s scoring average dipped nearly three points below his season norm during that stretch, the real concern wasn’t just the numbers-it was how out of rhythm he looked.
To put it in perspective: Booker hadn’t shot over 50% in a full game since November 12 against the Pacers. And it had been even longer-since November 6 against the Clippers-since he hit better than 34% from three on more than two attempts.
That Clippers game, by the way, was Jalen Green’s only full game this season. That’s how long it had been.
And for most of the first half against Golden State, it looked like more of the same. Booker went just 1-for-7 in the opening 24 minutes.
The confidence wasn’t gone, but the shots just weren’t falling. Phoenix trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, and it felt like the game might slip away.
Then something flipped.
Booker came out of the locker room looking like a different player. The shot started falling, the rhythm returned, and the Suns got the version of Booker they’ve been waiting on.
He dropped 23 points in the second half on 8-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep and 5-of-6 at the line. He was aggressive, decisive, and hit a string of clutch buckets that turned the game around.
None bigger than a late-game dagger over Jimmy Butler with under a minute to go-this after the Warriors had clawed back with a five-point possession, thanks to a Dillon Brooks flagrant foul on Steph Curry. That shot was vintage Booker: high difficulty, high stakes, and high confidence.
He finished the night with 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting-his most efficient outing in nearly a month. And he did it by scoring in double figures in both the third and fourth quarters, marking his first 20-point half since, fittingly, the Suns’ first meeting with Golden State back on November 4.
Phoenix won that game too. Before that, the Suns were 0-3 when Booker had a 20-point half.
This was just Booker’s second game back from the right groin injury he picked up against the Lakers on December 1, and he had an interesting postgame note about what helped spark his turnaround. He said he ditched his core shorts at halftime-claiming they were limiting his movement-and joked that he’s officially “retiring” them.
Jokes aside, the numbers against Golden State this season speak for themselves. In two games, Booker is averaging 31.5 points on 51.2% shooting. That’s elite production against a team that knows how to defend high-level guards.
Now the question becomes: can he build on this? Phoenix heads to San Francisco for a rematch with the Warriors on Saturday night. If Booker brings this second-half energy with him, the Suns might just have the edge in what’s shaping up to be a key Western Conference battle.