Devin Booker says Kevin Durant is helping him reach new heights after 47-point display vs. Clippers

Devin Booker has warned all other remaining teams in the West that he’s only going to improve as long as Kevin Durant plays by his side, following his 47-point display in Game 5 of Phoenix’s first-round playoff series against the L.A. Clippers.

The 26-year-old Suns guard was sensational in his team’s second-half comeback on Tuesday, converting 19 of 27 shots, including 4 of 7 three’s, while also registering 10 assists and 8 rebounds in the process. 

Phoenix proved to have too much firepower for the depleted Clippers, who were without its stars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, in their third playoff loss in a row. 

Suns power forward Kevin Durant didn’t ease the burden of yet another defeat for L.A., putting up 31 points, equaling his Game 4 tally on Saturday, except the former Texas Longhorn, 34, was a little less efficient in his shooting, making 10 of 19 shots (52.6 percent) compared to 9 of 17 (52.9) at the weekend. 

That didn’t matter to Booker, however, clearly in awe of his teammate, who came to the Valley from the borough of Brooklyn, following a deadline trade in February. 

Booker and Durant are only the second duo in history to each score 25 points in every game of a best-of-seven series after Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for the Lakers in the 1968 postseason

‘It’s hard to put into words. [Durant] is someone that I followed for a very long time before we developed a personal relationship,’ Booker said. ‘So to even be sitting up here with him right now is kind of surreal, but just competing at the highest level. Iron sharpens iron.’

Indisputably the Suns’ two franchise players, both stars combined for 328 points across five games against the Clippers, becoming the first pairing on the same team since the lethal pairing of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2003 to each drop at least 25 points in five straight first-round playoff games. 

What’s more is that Booker and Durant are only the second duo in NBA history to each score 25 points in every game of a best-of-seven series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The two teammates join Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, who reached those heights for the Lakers in a four-game sweep of the Warriors in the 1968 Western Division finals.

‘It was spiritual,’ Durant said of his Booker’s latest playoff performance. ‘His impact and his presence just means a lot to us. That was incredible to see and to be a part of.’ 

Booker was in no mood to mess around in the start of what many predict to be the Suns’ conquest of the West, averaging 40 points on 62 percent shooting in Phoenix’s four straight wins after L.A. took Game 1. 

The Suns are 12-1 when Booker and Durant share the floor sine the latter’s midseason trade

The three-time NBA All-Star is just the third player in league history to prove such efficiency, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1977) and Bernard King (1984), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

‘When he’s going like that, we’re not calling any plays,’ Suns coach Monty Williams admitted when asked of ‘D-Book’s’ red-hot postseason form.

The Suns are now 12-1 when Booker and Durant share the floor, though the jury’s still out on their success. Both stars haven’t been put to the test so far in the postseason but that may change soon. 

Phoenix face the Denver Nuggets next in the second-round of the playoffs. Game 1 is on Saturday night, and only then will time tell if these new heights that Durant and Booker have reached will truly mean anything going forward.