NBA: Devin Booker, Suns cruise past Bulls in second half
Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns shoots in the second half against Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls at United Center on March 03, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Quinn Harris/Getty Images/AFP
Devin Booker scored 35 points and Josh Okogie added 25 to lift the visiting Phoenix Suns to a 125-104 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Booker made 12 of 24 shots from the floor — including 6 of 10 from 3-point range — to send the Suns to their 14th win in 19 games overall and seventh straight versus the Bulls.
Booker torched Chicago for the second time this season. He scored 51 points in the first three quarters before sitting out the fourth in Phoenix’s 132-113 home victory on Nov. 30.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 4, 2023
Phoenix’s Kevin Durant scored 20 points to increase his career total to 26,727 and move past Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (26,710) into 13th place in NBA history. Durant made 7 of 10 shots and added nine rebounds and six assists while playing in his second game since being acquired in trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns made 50 percent of their shots from the floor (42 of 84) and 42.6 percent from 3-point range (20 of 47).
Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan sank 13 of 18 shots from the floor to finish with 31 points. Zach LaVine added 27 points and Nikola Vucevic recorded 13 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have lost eight of their last 11 games.
LaVine scored 12 points to highlight his team’s 25-8 surge to end the second quarter and give Chicago a 64-60 lead at halftime.
KD taking it to the rack 💨 pic.twitter.com/KhTT8hbuwH
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 4, 2023
Booker led the charge in the third quarter, scoring 14 points as Phoenix seized a 94-85 advantage. He capped the surge by sinking a technical free throw and a 21-foot jumper.
Ayo Dosunmo drained a 3-pointer to bring Chicago within six early in the fourth quarter, but Damion Lee responded by connecting from beyond the arc and Durant sank three free throws.
The Bulls trimmed the deficit to 107-100 before Chris Paul sank three 3-pointers to highlight the Suns’ game-ending 18-4 run.
Booker bolted out of the blocks to start the game, making 5 of 8 shots from the floor to lead Phoenix to a 40-29 lead at the end of the first quarter. He joined Okogie in sinking 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range during the period.
