The Phoenix Suns open up their final home stand of the season playing the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
SUNS VS WIZARDS HISTORY:
The Suns traded Trevor Ariza for Kelly Oubre Jr. on Dec. 17. Since arriving in Phoenix, Oubre is averaging a career-high 16.9 points per game with 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in 40 games.
The Suns will complete the season series with the Wizards after falling to them in a 3OT thriller in D.C. on Dec 22.
Devin Booker scored 33 points in that game with a career-high 14 assists.
The Wizards narrowly hold the all-time advantage with a 64-62 series lead against the Suns.
BOOK’S MAKES HISTORY IN SALT LAKE CITY:
Booker scored a season-high 59 points at Utah, two years and a day after he scored 70 at Boston. He became just the sixth player in NBA history with multiple 59-point games, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, James Harden and Elgin Baylor.
It was just the seventh 50-point game in Suns history as he and Tom Chambers are the only players to do so twice. Booker now holds the scoring record at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Utah (59), TD Garden in Boston (70) and Mexico City Arena (39, twice).
Booker has now scored 20+ points in 16 straight games, led the team in scoring in 10 straight games and scored 25+ points in eight straight games.
Booker’s performance elevated his scoring average for the season to 26.2 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in Suns history behind only Tom Chambers’ 27.2 in 1989-90.
INJURY UPDATE:
Josh Jackson (right ankle sprain), Tyler Johnson (sore right knee), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left thumb sprain) and T.J. Warren (right ankle soreness) are all out tonight.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
DEANDRE AYTON ON OVERTIME GAME VS WIZARDS: “3OTs. That’s when I knew this was the NBA. That’s when I really felt the real feeling of the NBA. The fans, the arena, the competitiveness, trading baskets over and over, wondering when the clock is going to run out. Your body is super fatigued. I reached a limit in that game where I was like this is the NBA and I’m ready to take on the challenge.”
COACH ON TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: “We played this team a long time ago. So, we used some clips, but they’re a different team. We’re a different team when it comes to the roster, when it comes to where the team is.”
COACH ON COMPARISON BETWEEN BOOKER AND BRADLEY BEAL: “A lot of similarities. A lot of same type of players in terms of the ability to create off the dribble or isolations… Very versatile offensive players.”