Booker: We started strong but 'let it go' in Game 5

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was candid in his assessment of his team's performance in Saturday's pivotal Game 5 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

"We came out and did what we intended to do, get off to a great start, and we let it go," Booker said postgame, according to CBS Sports' Sam Quinn.

The Suns raced out to a 37-21 lead to close out the first quarter, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench to start the second frame, Booker and Co. had an opportunity to extend the advantage.

Just over four minutes later, though, the Suns squandered the advantage. Milwaukee went on to lead by as many as 14 points in the second half en route to claiming the 123-119 victory.

"They stayed resilient and they kept playing through. Tough loss for us," Booker added.

Booker dropped 40 points for the second consecutive game to join an exclusive list of players in NBA Finals history, though the lasting image from the contest may have come at his expense.

With 16 seconds remaining and the Bucks clinging to a one-point lead, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday stripped the ball from Booker and sprinted down the court before feeding Antetokounmpo for an emphatic alley-oop.

The defeat was the Suns' third in a row - something they suffered just once in the regular season - and puts them behind in this year's playoffs for only the second time after they went down 2-1 in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Game 6 goes Tuesday night in Milwaukee. For Phoenix head coach Monty Williams, the team's goal is a simple one.

"We got to win one game to put them back on the plane," Williams told reporters, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "That's it. And you have to have that determination that you're willing to do whatever it takes to put them back on the plane."