Game ID: 22301092
Phoenix Suns @ New Orleans Pelicans
Monday, April 1, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 28 26 36 21 111PHX 46 28 29 21 124
NOP vs PHX ScoutingNOP vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NOP availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 18 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 19 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Alvarado 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 20 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/24, returns tonight: 5 min (40% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 21 since 2/10, returns tonight: 11 min (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 5 min since (35% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 2 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 11 min since (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 6 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 3 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 18 min since (84% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Williamson 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 7 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 4 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 19 min since (89% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 8 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 5 since 3/28, returns tonight: 22 min (122% of 18)
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 24 min since (110% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (43% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 9 since 3/22, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 25 min since (114% of 22)
BACK Alvarado back 4/07 after 5, 22 min since (122% of 18)
NEW McCollum 33 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Williamson 32 to 37 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 10 since 3/03, returns tonight: 10 min (62% of 16)
BACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (81% of 28)
PHX availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restBACK Gordon back 3/15 after 2, 23 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 10 min since (62% of 16)
PHX availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 10 min since (62% of 16)
PHX availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 3/25, returns tonight: 14 min (88% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/01 · 2 days' restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 12 min since (75% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 12 min since (75% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 4/01, returns tonight: 4 min (26% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. Without Ingram (5 straight), Alvarado (2 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 24 free throws a game to Phoenix's 15 and the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 37. Call it New Orleans 113, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/24 @ DET 114-101 — NOP notes
NOP won 114-101. NOP shot 51% (41 of 81) to DET's 41%, 11 of 34 from three. NOP turned it over 10 times to DET's 16. Williamson led with 36 (13 of 14, 10 of 14 at the line); McCollum added 23, Marshall 14. The hinge was Q1, 29-10: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/26 vs OKC 112-119 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-119. NOP shot 45% (39 of 86) to OKC's 53%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 23 times to OKC's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 12. Williamson led with 29 (10 of 17, 9 of 10 at the line); McCollum added 23, Murphy III 16. Q3 was theirs, 32-23, the deficit cut from 15 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. Jones's -21 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 vs MIL 107-100 — NOP notes
NOP won 107-100. NOP shot 40% (36 of 91) to MIL's 46%, 8 of 32 from three, and went to the line 34 times to MIL's 19 — 27 points from the stripe to their 10. NOP turned it over 6 times to MIL's 14. Williamson led with 28 (9 of 15, 10 of 16 at the line); McCollum added 25, Valančiūnas 17. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: a lead of 1 became 16. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/30 vs BOS 92-104 — NOP notes
NOP lost 92-104. NOP shot 40% (34 of 86) to BOS's 48%, 13 of 35 from three, and went to the line 18 times to BOS's 12 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 41-51 against them. Williamson led with 25 (9 of 17, 7 of 14 at the line); McCollum added 24, Jones 18. Q1 was theirs, 37-28, but the other 3 periods went 76-55 against them. They led by as many as 11. Nance Jr.'s -11 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 vs PHX 111-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 111-124. NOP shot 47% (42 of 89) to PHX's 49%, 11 of 27 from three. The glass went 37-49 against them. Williamson led with 30 (10 of 20, 10 of 13 at the line); Murphy III added 21, McCollum 15. Q3 was theirs, 36-29, the deficit cut from 20 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 95-75 against them. Williamson's -20 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/03 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Williamson at 30 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ingram (6 straight), Alvarado (3 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 100, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 18 and F. Wagner at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 13 times a game to New Orleans's 9 and the defense, Orlando allowing 100 a night to New Orleans's 110. Call it New Orleans 109, Orlando 107, Orlando keeping it close.
4/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and McCollum at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ingram (7 straight), Alvarado (4 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 27 a game. Without Johnson (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-1 a night and New Orleans minus-6 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to New Orleans's 9. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
4/07 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; McCollum at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Ingram (8 straight), Alvarado (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Phoenix 113, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
4/09 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 112, shooting 41 percent and 30 from three, 15 free throws a game; Ayton at 24 and Banton at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Simons (8 straight), Sharpe (41 straight), Thybulle (4 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; McCollum at 27 and Williamson at 25 a game. Without Ingram (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-8 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the arc, New Orleans at 38 percent from three to Portland's 30. Call it New Orleans 111, Portland 108, Portland keeping it close.
3/23 @ SAS 131-106 — PHX notes
PHX won 131-106. PHX shot 60% (56 of 94) to SAS's 47%, 11 of 24 from three, and got to the line 10 times to SAS's 21. PHX turned it over 8 times to SAS's 15. Booker led with 32 (14 of 24, 3 of 7 from three); Durant added 25, Beal 13. The hinge was Q3, 38-24: a lead of 18 became 32. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/25 @ SAS 102-104 — PHX notes
PHX lost 102-104. PHX shot 51% (42 of 83) to SAS's 44%, 10 of 28 from three. PHX turned it over 14 times to SAS's 7, and SAS turned those into 10 steals. Booker led with 36 (14 of 28, 3 of 10 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Durant added 29, O'Neale 12. Q2 was theirs, 28-18, turning a 7-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 86-74 against them.
3/27 @ DEN 104-97 — PHX notes
PHX won 104-97. PHX shot 47% (39 of 83) to DEN's 43%, 16 of 33 from three. PHX turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 51-38 for them. Durant led with 30 (12 of 20, 3 of 4 from three); Booker added 17, Allen 13. The hinge was Q2, 30-23: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Young was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/29 @ OKC 103-128 — PHX notes
PHX lost 103-128. PHX shot 45% (39 of 87) to OKC's 56%, 13 of 41 from three. Durant led with 26 (10 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Beal added 15, Booker 14. Q1 was theirs, 32-34, but the other 3 periods went 94-71 against them. Nurkić's -22 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 @ NOP 124-111 — PHX notes
PHX won 124-111. PHX shot 49% (43 of 87) to NOP's 47%, 18 of 47 from three. The glass went 49-37 for them. Booker led with 52 (19 of 28, 8 of 16 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Durant added 20, Nurkić 19. The hinge was Q1, 46-28: from level to 18 ahead, and the lead reached 27. Nurkić was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
4/03 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 30 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Allen at 19 and Eva. Mobley at 18 a game. Without Okoro (2 straight), Wade (13 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and Cleveland minus-2. Call it Phoenix 115, Cleveland 111, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/05 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Booker at 32 and Durant at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 98, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Edwards at 21 and Reid at 18 a game. Without Towns (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-8 a night and Minnesota minus-2 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 98 a night to Phoenix's 108. Call it Minnesota 111, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/07 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; McCollum at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Ingram (8 straight), Alvarado (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Phoenix 113, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
4/09 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Booker at 29 and Durant at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; George at 28 and Powell at 15 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Leonard (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 20 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 15 times a game to the Clippers' 12. Call it Phoenix 113, the Clippers 112, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPCM C. McCollum
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JN J. Nurkić
KD K. Durant
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
NOP/PHX the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Devin Booker scores 52 points to lift the Suns over the Pelicans 124-111
NEW ORLEANS -- — Devin Booker scored 52 points, the fifth-highest scoring game of his career, to power the Phoenix Suns to a 124-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, bringing them within a game of the Pelicans for the No. 6 playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Rebounding from a 128-103 loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night, the Suns (44-31) inched closer to New Orleans (45-30). The teams play again in Phoenix on Sunday.
Booker became the first NBA player since Wilt Chamberlain to score at least 50 points in three consecutive games against the same opponent.
In addition to his 52-point outburst in Phoenix’s 123-109 victory over New Orleans in the Smoothie King Center on Jan. 19, Booker scored 58 points against New Orleans in a 118-114 home win over the Pelicans on Dec. 12, 2022.
“It means a whole lot,” said Booker, a native of Moss Point, Mississippi, located 110 miles from New Orleans, who had 40 relatives and friends in the stands. “My family was in attendance for two of them. Any time you get named for something Wilt did – it’s happened very few times in my career – you know you did something special.”
Suns coach Frank Vogel said he was in awe watching Booker’s second 52-point game against the Pelicans this year.
“There’s something about playing in this building against this opponent,” Vogel said. “(He) just really has a comfort zone here. To go for 50 three straight times against a single opponent … just shows what kind of special player he is. Three times in a row is just incredible.”
Kevin Durant scored 20 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 19 points and 19 rebounds for the Suns, who led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter.
Durant said it was obvious Booker had it going in the first quarter, and the Suns made a concerted effort to get him the ball and screen harder to create more open space.
“It was like deja vu,” Durant said. “As it was happening, I couldn’t believe he was doing it again.”
Pelicans coach Willie Green said there was no excuse for allowing Booker to go off, especially since they knew his history of burying the Pels.
“He hit some shots that we gave him, and he also hit some tough shots,” Green said. “We have to do better. I mean, there’s no excuse to get 50, put on you twice (in a season). Quite frankly, we were soft guarding him. We just had a soft mentality when it came to being physical with him, and he’s a great player, and you can’t allow him to be comfortable."
Booker’s first 24 points came on just nine shots from the field in the first quarter – he was 8-of-9 from behind the arc.
“He came out with a lot of pace and energy,” Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III said of Booker. “He hit some tough shots, but I think we contributed to it a little as well.”
In Phoenix’s 123-109 road victory over New Orleans on Jan. 19, Booker scored 25 points in the first quarter. His 24-point outburst in the first quarter Monday night gave him 76 points in his previous five quarters against the Pelicans.
The Suns built a wall around Zion Williamson on defense, and the Pelicans’ leading scorer didn’t take his first shot until late in the first quarter. Williamson finished with 30 points and five assists. Trey Murphy III added 21 points for New Orleans.
Booker has eight 50-plus scoring games in his career.