Devin Booker on Wednesday returned from a four-game absence to power Phoenix to a 111-90 win over the Miami Heat in a matchup of conference leaders, clinching an NBA playoff berth for the Suns.
Booker, back after being sidelined by COVID-19 protocols, scored a game-high 23 points, had nine assists, pulled down eight rebounds, made two steals and blocked two shots for the visitors, who improved to a league-best 53-13.
“I’m just trying to find my rhythm,” Booker said. “I had a week off. I felt good. I was ready to get back at it.”
Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY
The triumph was important to the Suns, who lost 123-100 to Miami in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan. 8.
“They came to our home court and kicked our ass, so we wanted to make a statement here,” Booker said. “We knew it was going to be a hard game, but I like how we played.”
Mikal Bridges added 21 points for Phoenix, while Bahamas big man Deandre Ayton contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Duncan Robinson led Miami with 22 points.
The Heat were without star Jimmy Butler, out with sinus congestion.
The Suns stretched their lead in the Western Conference to 8.5 games over the Memphis Grizzlies by dispatching the top club in the Eastern Conference, the Heat falling to 44-23.
Phoenix, who lost last year’s NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, improved to 22-0 this season when keeping an opponent under 100 points and became the first team to secure a post-season berth.
“The playoffs are upon us,” Booker said. “We’re looking forward to it. We don’t want to fall short again.”
In other games, it was:
‧ Bucks 124, Hawks 115
‧ Clippers 115, Wizards 109
‧ Hornets 101, Celtics 115
‧ Jazz 123, Trail Blazers 85
‧ Kings 100, Nuggets 106
‧ Mavericks 77, Knicks 107
‧ Pelicans 102, Magic 108
‧ Pistons 108, Bulls 114
‧ Rockets 139, Lakers 130 (OT)
‧ Spurs 104, Raptors 119
‧ T’wolves 132, Thunder 102
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
RSS