On Saturday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Pacers rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns, spoiling their star shooting guard Devin Booker’s 62-point night in the process.
Pacers’ power forward Obi Toppin broke a tie with a putback at 3.4 seconds left and sealed a narrow 133-131 victory for the home team. Finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Toppin praised Booker but highlighted the Pacers’ effective final strategy.
“Great player. But that fourth quarter, we decided to hit and send another defender to get the ball out of his hands and just scramble out of that,” Toppin said. “They didn’t like it at all. I think it was their worst quarter.”
The strategic adjustment had a notable impact, as it limited the Suns to a mere 17 points in the final 12 minutes. This followed quarters where they consecutively scored 40, 40 and 34 points.
Second consecutive win
On Sunday, the Pacers were playing without injured All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, but they still clinched their second consecutive victory after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers just the day before. Power forward Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, leading the Pacers to triumph over both Philadelphia and Phoenix in 24 hours.
The game saw a remarkable comeback from a 54-37 second-quarter deficit, with the Pacers narrowing the margin and eventually securing the win. Andrew Nembhard played a crucial role, tying the game and contributing 22 points and six assists.
In the closing moments, Toppin’s offensive rebound and putback sealed the victory for the Pacers. Despite the game's physical and defensively challenging nature, Toppin’s decisive play proved crucial for the team.
Suns guard Bradley Beal left in the third quarter after a collision with Pacers center Myles Turner but returned in the fourth quarter after receiving medical attention.
In an unprecedented turn, the Suns also extended their streak of consecutive games with 40-point scorers to five. Another star player, power forward Kevin Durant, contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Suns.
Booker’s stellar career
Booker, hailing from a basketball lineage, is the son of former player Melvin Booker. He entered the NBA in the 2015 draft as the 13th overall pick after playing for one season with the college basketball team Kentucky Wildcats.
Notably, at the age of 20 in 2017, Booker etched his name in history by becoming the youngest player to score over 60 points in a single game. He continued to make waves in 2019 at 22 years old, becoming the youngest player in the history of the NBA to record consecutive 50-point games.
The Kentucky University alumnus achieved 50 or more points for the second time this 2023-24 season and the seventh time in his career. His career-high of 70 points was set in Boston in March 2017 and on January 19 this year, he scored 52 points in New Orleans. Nevertheless, Booker’s outstanding performance was not sufficient for the Suns on this occasion.
Despite this loss, Booker set a new Phoenix record by scoring 29 points in the first quarter. While he had an opportunity to secure the win at the buzzer, the three-time All-Star guard slipped on the inbounds pass and missed a contested 3-pointer by a considerable margin.
As such, the Suns’ winning streak of seven consecutive victories came to an end at the hands of the Pacers. Up next, they will face the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, while the Pacers host the Memphis Grizzlies.