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Devin Booker ties career-high 39 points, 28 in 4th quarter (Video)

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 17, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) celebrates scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeat the Suns 114-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) celebrates scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeat the Suns 114-101. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Phoenix Suns lost their Mexico City showdown with the Dallas Mavericks, but Devin Booker tied a career-high 39 points with 28 coming in the fourth quarter.

With the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks squaring off south of the border Thursday night, Mexico City fans were treated to a battle of two unintentional tankers. The Suns (11-26) and the Mavs (10-27) sat at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, giving their international showdown under-the-radar importance in positioning for the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

However, NBA fans in Mexico were also treated to a somewhat fun game down the stretch, with second-year phenom Devin Booker reminding people his star is still on the rise despite experiencing something of a sophomore slump so far in 2016-17.

Thanks to a fourth quarter detonation, Booker tied his career-high of 39 points, exploding for 28 in the final period — the second-most in the NBA this season, trailing only Isaiah Thomas’ 29 fourth quarter points.

Booker finished the game with 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field (70 percent). He also made six of his seven three-pointers, turning a relatively quiet night into a career-high performance over the course of 12 minutes.

In that fourth quarter, Booker went 9-for-11 from the field, 5-for-6 from long range and 5-for-7 from the foul line. Through the first three quarters, he had just four points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-for-1 shooting from downtown.

According to the Suns, Booker’s night also historic among Mexico City exhibitions, with his 39-point performance being the highest scoring night among all NBA games played there — topping Michael Finley’s 35-point performance in 1997:

Unfortunately (or, now that we think about it, fortunately), the Suns still lost the game, 113-108. The loss dropped Phoenix to 11-27 and 15th in the West, while the Mavs improved 11-27 and 14th in the conference standings.

That loss may be crucial when the NBA Draft Lottery rolls around, especially since the Suns had already beaten Dallas last week.

Both teams could use a top-five pick in 2017 for their rebuilds, and Phoenix fans would be salivating over the prospect of adding another talented rookie to a young core that already includes Booker, Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender.

Booker has struggled this season, and although he’s averaging 19.8 points per game, they’ve come on 41.8 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent shooting from three-point range. His defense has also been an issue.

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However, Booker has also put up six 30-point performances this year, and when he gets going, the future looks very bright for this 20-year-old. If he can work on his defense, refine his shot selection and actually get some decent plays drawn up for him, Suns fans will have plenty to be excited about moving forward.

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