Devin Booker Scored 50 Points For The Second Straight Game In A Loss To The Wizards

For the second straight game, Devin Booker put 50 points on the Suns opponent, becoming the seventh NBA player since 1976 to do so.

Booker joined Bernard King, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and James Harden as the only players since the merger to drop 50 points in back-to-back games. Unlike Monday night’s effort, where he had 59 points in a 33-point loss to the Jazz, Booker’s 50-point outburst came in a tightly contested game with the Wizards in which Phoenix needed all of those buckets to keep things close.

The Suns and Wizards were tied at 121 with 16.4 seconds to play, thanks to a Jamal Crawford three-pointer off the dribble to answer a Thomas Bryant three on the other end for Washington.

However, Booker’s effort was once again for naught as Thomas Bryant hit a game-winning and-1 bucket off a lob from Bradley Beal with 2.8 seconds to go, as a late Troy Daniels three wouldn’t go down to send the game to OT.

While it was, unfortunately for the Suns, in another loss, Booker once again showed why he is one of the league’s preeminent bucket-getters, flashing the skills from inside, outside, and everywhere in between en route to 50 points.

Given that Booker’s 59 and 70-point games have both been in blowout losses, his 52 points on Wednesday may constitute his most impressive scoring night, as he went 19-for-29 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line for those 50, adding 10 rebounds and four assists for good measure.

Booker has gotten a reputation as something of a looter in a riot for some, but Wednesday night he was as effective as he was efficient and was the sole reason Phoenix had a shot to win that game. Learning to have big-time scoring nights while remaining efficient is a big step for him, and bodes well if the Suns can ever figure out how to build a competent roster around him. However, for now, Booker will have to settle for making history in more dubious fashion.