"Baby Kobe": NBA fans draw comparison of Devin Booker with Kobe Bryant after MSG heroics
Devin Booker hit an insane three-pointer with two seconds to go in regulation and handed the Phoenix Suns a 116-113 road win over the New York Knicks. With fellow megastars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal out injured, Booker took over and helped the Suns extend their current winning streak to seven games and improve to 11-6 in the West standings.
After his game-winner, which quickly went viral, NBA fans praised him, with some drawing comparisons between him and the late NBA and LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Devin Booker on his game-winner vs. the Knicks at MSG
Devin Booker was unstoppable at Madison Square Garden and went for 28 points, 11 assists and five rebounds on 10/25 shooting. His three-pointer in the final seconds led the Suns to another win, but afterward, the All-Star guard had a pretty calm reaction.
He told reporters:
"For a game winner, I'm feeling I'm taking that shot unless they super blitz me to where I can't even see the hoop. But any soft pressure like that, I feel like if I raise up and I have it on my right side that nobody can really get to it.
"I know it sounds crazy, but it feels like an open shot and when you let it go, it's good. But with the game on the line. I wanted to take that one."
This was the second time that Devin Booker has hit a game-winner at Madison Square Garden, with his previous one coming in 2017.
"I'm a part of history now, it feels like. It means a lot. If you're a fan of the game and you're a fan of history, you should feel that upon arrival, right? When we touch down in New York City, even when I'm here in the summer and I get the chance to drive by MSG, it just gives you a certain feeling," Devin Booker added, via ESPN.
After missing eight of the Suns' first 11 NBA games, Booker has taken over for a Phoenix team that has been on a roll lately. Booker has appeared in eight of the Suns' first 17 games and has averages of 29.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 8.6 apg, on 51.3 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from beyond the arc.