Down 2-0 to the Nuggets, Devin Booker carried the Suns to a victory in Game 3 with 47 points on 20-of-25 shooting. Yet, Phoenix’s win was partly overshadowed by the team’s decision to bench DeAndre Ayton, which led to Ayton not speaking with the media after the game.
The center had just four points and nine rebounds on the night, his worst performance of the playoffs thus far. After the game, Booker explained how he approaches trying to keep Ayton in the game when he’s struggling.
“We’ve been around long enough to understand every night’s not gonna be your night,” he said. “Energy and effort always has to be high, especially around this time. You can’t get flustered, you can’t get in your own head, and I could see that with him a little bit tonight, so that’s my job to just pump him up the next possession.”
