At 114-125, the Suns lost to the Pelicans at home, and the team was forced to draw the big score, and the two teams in this series fought to a 1-1 draw and returned to the same running line. The turning point of the game came in the third quarter, when Booker exploded with 31 points in the first half, he had a tight foot in the opening stage of the third quarter, and then he asked to be replaced, and the Suns played very badly without Booker, the team missed consecutive shots, and they could not withstand the impact of the Pelicans at key moments. In the end, the Suns also lost to the Pelicans by 11 points at home, losing the home advantage.
After the game, paul, the core of the team, when talking about Booker's injury, he was also frustrated: Booker felt hot in the game, and it was frustrating to have to leave the game halfway through a great game due to injury. But here's the thing, injuries are part of the game. All we have to do now is forget about this loss, focus on the G3 game and if he can't play, we need more players to come forward.
Barkley was also frustrated when former NBA player Barkley talked about Booker's injury on the show, he admitted that it was too bad, the Suns lost their best player, they have the best record in the league, but the appearance of injuries has plunged them into shock and panic.
In fact, this is indeed the case, Booker is the best player of the Suns, this season the Suns can be ranked 1st in the league, Booker's play is very critical, in the second half of Paul's injury in the second half of the season, Booker supported the team, in terms of personal offense and tandem of the whole team, he has a very good performance, with personal ability has helped the team to rank 1st in the league. In the playoffs G1 Suns were able to beat the Pelicans, Booker was the key player, and in the G2 game, the team was able to lead in the first half, Booker also made his own contribution, he is very critical to the team, it can be said that Booker's injury, to a large extent affected the overall strength of the Suns, they want to win the Pelicans in the first round, it is not too easy.
Of course, the Suns can become the no. 1 in the league, they are not just relying on Booker, the team lineup is still very strong, and their tactical system is very mature, and the performance at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends is also very strong. In the absence of Booker this season, they have won a lot of games, and the overall strength of the team is still stronger than the Pelicans.
It is not known that Booker will miss a few games, and during Booker's absence, all the Suns have to do is play their own characteristics, except for Paul, other players also need to stand up, perform better on the offensive end, be more focused on the defensive end, and show a better overall performance in the series, so that the Suns also have the hope of winning this series. Losing G2, Booker injured, these are all in the past, in the next two away games of G3 and G4, whether the Suns can make adjustments, what kind of performance the team will come up with to face the impact of the Pelicans, this is worth looking forward to.