On May 3, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA playoffs were in full swing. In today's Western Focus battle, the Suns host a challenge from the Lone Rangers. In the first round of the series, the Suns eliminated the Pelicans 4-2. In today's game, Suns star Booker ushered in his second game after his comeback!
Just after the first quarter, Booker assisted Bridges with a dunk, and then Booker hit a basket. Booker then caused Bullock to foul and hit both free throws to give the Suns a 14-4 lead! Booker then grabbed a rebound in the front court and hit a layup, and in a defensive round, Booker hated Brunson behind him, and then Booker kept spewing garbage at Brunson, and also suffered a technical foul. Before the end of the quarter, Booker hit a 45-degree three-point shot on the right to give the Suns a 35-26 lead over the Lone Rangers to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Booker rested more off the field, and he broke through Bullock with the ball to the basket to split his hands, which was also the only shot he made in the second quarter. Entering the third quarter, Booker quickly hit a shot from mid-range on the left, before he hit it against Doncic's defense. Before the end of the quarter, Booker missed consecutive mid-range shots, and after four points, two rebounds and two assists in the single quarter, Booker scored 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the third quarter, leading the Suns by 17 points at 96:79.
In the final showdown, Booker still did not feel good, and his first 3 shots were all offside. But in the final 47 seconds before the game, the Lone Rangers trailed just six points behind, and Booker hit two key free throws. Booker was then fouled by Brunson and hit two free throws to help the team lead by seven points to secure the win.
In the end, the Suns defeated the Lone Rangers 121:114 to give them a 1:0 lead in the series. Booker played 38 minutes today, shooting 7-of-20, including 1 of 5 from three-point range and 8-of-8 from the free throw line, for a total of 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, plus or minus of +6!
According to the schedule, the second leg of the two-team series will meet on May 5, and the Suns will continue to sit at home.