Devin Booker made history with his incredible game last night. Booker scored 70 points against the Boston Celtics, becoming only the sixth player in the NBA history to do so. He finished the game with 70 points on 21-of-40 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block. The young guard also made four three-pointers in the game and was 24-of-24 from the free throw line.
Despite Devin Booker's historically-great scoring performance, the Phoenix Suns weren't able to beat the Celtics, who won the game 130 to 120.
Devin Booker set numerous records
Booker is the only player to eclipse 70-point mark since Kobe Bryant in 2006. Beside two of them, the only players to ever score 70 or more points in NBA history were Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor and David Thompson. Devin Booker is three years younger than Thompson, and everyone else on this list was at least 27 at the time they had these big games.
Devin Booker also set the record for most points scored by a 20-year old player as the previous record was 56 points by LeBron James. Just like the Phoenix Suns guard, James was in his second season at the time when he had his big game. Booker also broke Phoenix Suns scoring record last night as the previous record was held by Tom Chambers who scored 60 points in 1990.
Booker's big scoring night received a lot of criticism
Boston Celtics had a commanding lead throughout the game, and they even had a 26-point lead in the second quarter. The game was not competitive as the Celtics were annihilating the Suns, but Phoenix had a different plan for the second half, as they kept giving the ball to Devin Booker, who scored 51 points in the half, to get to his first 70-point game.
Isaiah Thomas, who scored 34 points for Boston, said it was weird that the Suns were doing that as it was obvious, they were trying to let Booker score as many points as possible. However, Thomas still gave credit to the 20-year old guard, saying that "he played a hell of a game."
Many NBA fans also complained about the Phoenix Suns, and they expressed their displeasure on social media.
However, the Suns' coach Earl Watson did not apologize for having that game plan as he enjoyed watching Devin Booker go off. After all, the Suns have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so why shouldn't he let his young team have some fun for the rest of the season?
