Devin Booker Out-duels De'Aaron Fox in Suns Victory

Tuesday night reminded the NBA what school runs the league. Former ‘Cats Devin Booker and De’Aaron Fox combined for 67 points in a dazzling matchup. The Phoenix Suns were able to defend their home court with the 120-109 victory over America’s favorite Sacramento Kings.

After their colossal trade deadline, D-Book and the Suns strolled into Footprint Center with a different vibe. The source of said trade, Kevin Durant, had a front-row seat to the Devin Booker show. Booker showed out for his new running mate, scoring at will.

Not only was Booker hitting his shots, but he was also hitting them at a high clip. Book shot a superb 13-for-20 from the field, with zero threes on zero attempts. It was about getting to the rim and shooting high-percentage shots as the Suns found pockets within the Kings’ defense.

Kevin Durant is loving what he's seeing from Devin Booker. pic.twitter.com/D7Jq0ujxW5

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 15, 2023

Booker missed five weeks at the tail end of January into February with a groin strain. After his stellar performance, Booker told the media, “Yeah, man I feel good. You know, it’s been a long recovery road…So, a lot of strength training, a lot of leg work. And you know, tonight I feel good.”

The rest of the NBA should be terrified of what the Suns’ offense should be. Having one of the best young scorers in the league (Booker) combined with one of the best scorers of all time (Durant) is simply unfair.

The Beam Team suffered the loss

However, the darlings of the NBA continue to show flashes of a true contender. Considering the Sacramento Kings’ history, seeing them as anything other than pretenders is tough. On the other hand, De’Aaron Fox has changed the entire narrative of Kings basketball. Fox showed his talent and continued his hot hand with 35 points on 12-for-22 shooting from the field. Swipa struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away five times in the contest.

De'Aaron Fox in his last seven games:

32 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 48.1 FG%
31 PTS | 2 REB | 10 AST | 3 STL | 56.5 FG%
16 PTS | 4 REB | 8 AST | 2 STL | 41.7 FG%
31 PTS | 5 REB | 11 AST | 2 STL | 47.3 FG%
33 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST | 1 BLK | 62.5 FG%
36 PTS | 4 REB | 5 AST | 2… https://t.co/AxZULqGRpG pic.twitter.com/l4AIrKnZ12

— NBA Muse (@NBAMuse24) February 15, 2023

Once the front office provided Fox with a running mate in the form of Domantas Sabonis, things changed. The Kings boast a 32-25 record this season, good for third in the western conference. Kings fans are incredibly excited about what is being built in Sacramento.

BBNBA Notes

Shaedon Sharpe continues to torture the BBN with his insane athleticism. The Trail Blazers fell to the Wizards on Tuesday night; however, Sharpe showed why he was the No. 1 recruit with this awe-inspiring slam.

Shaedon Sharpe over Kuzma 😤

Reminder: He’s not in the dunk contest…

pic.twitter.com/E4Iqgo8hJE

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 15, 2023

A backcourt of Cason Wallace, Sahvir Wheeler, and Shadeon Sharpe was a real possibility for the Wildcats. He’ll continue to make all of BBN wonder “What if?” for the rest of his NBA career.

2/14/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	MIN	+/-
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	109-120 L @ PHX	35	12-22 (4-7)	4	4	1	0	5	38	+3
Devin Booker (PHX)	120-109 W vs SAC	32	13-20 (0-0)	5	2	2	0	4	29	+22
Shadeon Sharpe (POR)	101-126 L vs WSH	14	5-9 (2-5)	1	1	0	0	6	28	-10
Trey Lyles (SAC)	109-120 L @ PHX	4	1-7 (0-2)	7	0	0	0	1	18	-9
B.J Boston (LAC)	134-124 W vs GS	2	0-0 (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	2	-6
Kevin Knox (POR)	101-126 vs WSH	0	0-1 (0-0)	1	0	0	0	0	8	-11
Malik Monk (SAC)	109-120 L @ PHX	DNP

Tonight in the NBA:

7:00 Spurs (Johnson) @ Hornets (Richards, Washington)

7:00 Bulls @ Pacers

7:30 (ESPN) Cavs @ 76ers (Maxey)

7:30 Knicks (Randle, Quickley) @ Hawks

7:30 Pistons (Diallo) @ Celtics

7:30 Heat (Herro, Adebayo) @ Nets

8:30 Jazz @ Grizzlies

8:00 Rockets (Washington Jr.) @ Thunder (SGA)

9:00 Mavericks @ Nuggets (Murray)

10:00 (ESPN) Pelicans @ Lakers (Davis)