Suns' Booker scores 59 in blowout loss to Jazz
Devin Booker accounted for just over 64 percent of the Phoenix Suns' points Monday night, and it still wasn't nearly enough to overcome the Utah Jazz.
The 22-year-old guard finished with a season-high 59 points on 19-of-34 shooting, 5-of-8 from behind the arc, and 16-of-17 from the charity stripe in a 125-92 loss. Booker also recorded four rebounds, four assists, and six turnovers in 41 minutes of action.
He's the first player in NBA history to score 50 or more points in a game which his team lost by at least 30 points.
No other Suns player reached double-digit scoring, with the rest of the roster combining to convert 12-of-42 (28.5 percent) from the field. Booker is only the third player to score at least 50 points while none of his teammates scored 10 or more, with David Robinson (April 24, 1994) and Kobe Bryant (Dec. 20, 2005) being the other two, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Devin Booker shot chart
Booker is the fourth player to have multiple 50-point games before his 23rd birthday, joining Rick Barry, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving. He lit up the Boston Celtics for 70 points on March 24, 2017 - the league's highest-scoring performance since Bryant had 81 against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.
He's also the 12th different player in 2018-19 to score 50 points in a game, which is an NBA record. LeBron, James Harden, Kemba Walker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Blake Griffin, and Derrick Rose are the others to do so this season.
Booker exited at the 5:12 mark of the fourth quarter with his team trailing by 23 on the scoreboard but re-entered with 2:57 remaining to add to his point total.
With Booker stuck at 59 points on the final possession, Utah intentionally fouled De'Anthony Melton to prevent Booker from getting the basketball and possibly eclipsing the 60-point mark.