Devin Booker walked into Friday night's game against the Boston Celtics averaging 20.9 points per game. Well, we haven't done the math just yet, but it's likely that just took a significant jump.
Booker scored an astonishing 70 points in Friday's game, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. The Phoenix guard started out comparatively slow, with 19 in the first half. But he came alive in the third quarter—you can see the highlights of his 23 point run below.
By the fourth quarter, Booker was throwing up pretty much all of Phoenix's shots. At the end, he set a franchise record.
But Booker's record-setting effort wasn't enough to help his team win. The Celtics triumphed, 130-120. However, his status as one of the league's best young players is certainly cemented. Just ask Kobe.
Booker shredded the Celtics in the off-court battle, too. In the comment section of a post on the NBA’s Instagram celebrating the achievement, Celtics wing Jae Crowder mocked the Suns for celebrating the individual feat despite losing. Booker clapped back, letting Crowder know what he thought of his defensive effort during the 70-point explosion:
