Suns start Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges, Maluach on Wednesday

After scoring 23 points in the Suns’ season-opening loss to the Trail Blazers, Booker nearly doubled that output on Saturday. The Suns’ star guard shot 68 percent from the field and added strong rebounding and assist numbers. With the Suns playing just two games in Week 1, fantasy managers rostering Booker needed a night like this. The Suns have another bad schedule in Week 2, with only two games.

The Suns got off to a brutal start on Wednesday, falling behind 17-0 and never truly challenging the Trail Blazers in Portland. Booker’s final stat line was decent, and fantasy managers won’t care much about the Suns’ 124-83 loss. Phoenix will look to bounce back on Saturday when they host the Warriors.

Booker was ice-cold on Wednesday, missing all eight of his three-point attempts. However, the overall light stat line was more concerning for anyone looking to lose sleep over a preseason game. Booker will be fine, and he’ll take on more playmaking responsibilities this season with Miles Bridges’ arrival pushing Collin Gillespie to the bench.

Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green all scored in double figures as Phoenix carried a 68-50 lead into halftime. The trio will be essential to the Suns’ chances of making it back to the postseason with Booker representing their primary offensive catalyst. The 29-year-old veteran scoring machine is a relatively low-risk top-60 range selection in the early rounds of fantasy drafts this fall.

Booker rebounded in the second half, but had just two points and five turnovers in 19 minutes in the first half. The Suns trailed by eight at halftime and would go on to lose by nine, which was the closest margin of the series. For much of the series, Booker was stymied by the Thunder defense and it led to a quick exit for the Suns in these playoffs.

It has been a struggle for Booker offensively in this series, and the Thunder deserve credit for that. In Game 3, he didn’t have the best day shooting the basketball, but the seven assists were solid. And another concern came up during the third quarter, as Booker departed briefly after injuring his left ankle. He did return to the game, so there may not be any issue regarding Booker’s availability for Game 4 on Monday.

It was tough for Booker to find scoring opportunities on Wednesday. He had only 10 shot attempts through the first three quarters against a Thunder defense that continues to guard him well. The low output left him as Phoenix’s second-leading scorer on the night with a points total that fell short of his regular-season average. Booker also had more turnovers than assists in Game 2 in his 40 minutes of game action. The Suns will likely need him to perform at a higher level if they want to avoid falling behind by three games on Saturday.

Of the three Suns players to score in double figures in Sunday’s blowout defeat, Booker was the only one to get close to shooting 50 percent from the field. Given the matchup, the Suns will need more from their star guard if they’re to have a chance of winning this series. With Phoenix having played on Wednesday and Friday in the Play-In Tournament before Sunday’s afternoon matchup, an extra day off ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday night may do Booker and the Suns some good.

Booker logged a fairly balanced performance as Phoenix’s lead guard. He shot inefficiently from beyond the arc but repeatedly worked his way to the line to help reach the 20-point mark. Meanwhile, he took on the role of lead playmaker, which nearly led him to a points-assists double-double. The veteran combo guard didn’t deliver any major counting stats. However, he took a very calculated approach, which allowed him to finish with a team-high plus-25 on the evening. He’ll have a chance to log another strong outing on Sunday in Game 1 against the Thunder.

Booker had an off night on Tuesday, as he saw his streak of 30-point performances end at three games. He struggled overall from the field, missed the mark on both of his three-point attempts, and missed five free throws along the way. The veteran scorer played 38 minutes, despite dealing with foul trouble, but failed to make his usual impact. Still, he’ll have an opportunity to bounce back on Friday when the Suns take on the winner of Wednesday’s Clippers-Warriors matchup.