"It wasn't well, obviously. There's nights like that" - Devin Booker on his poor shooting performance after Phoenix Suns' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of 2021 NBA Finals
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was critical of his 10-point performance that played a huge part in his side's 120-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
When asked about his poor performance, Booker didn’t excuse himself and displayed disappointment in how he played.
“It wasn't well, obviously,” Booker said. “There's nights like that. The most important part to me is winning the game and we didn’t do that. I’m more frustrated about that. But we have a few days off here. We’re gonna get back right, go over film and be ready Wednesday.”
Devin Booker had a game to forget, making just 3-of-14 shots and 1-of-7 from 3-point territory. His shooting was extremely poor on the night and the Phoenix Suns guard could only make 3-of-5 at the line as well. Booker was an 86.7 percent shooter during the regular season and for him to miss two in a single game showed that he was really off the pace on Sunday (July 11).
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams spoke to Devin Booker after his shooting guard struggled in Game 3. He was asked postgame what he said to the 24-year-old.
"Just talking to him about the game, the kind of force we have to play with, just normal stuff,” Williams replied. “This is one of those games you typically in NBA-speak say 'flush it,' but you can't; it's the Finals."
Devin Booker and Phoenix Suns share their thoughts on Game 3
The Phoenix Suns were dominated by the Milwaukee Bucks almost from the very beginning of Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Devin Booker and the rest of the Suns spoke about what happened that led to such a huge letdown after two strong outings at home.
"You can say it's a make-or-miss game,” Booker said. “But at the end of the day, you have to make the other team miss and get easy opportunities for your team. We didn't do that."
Monty Williams, who has made excellent in-game adjustments throughout the playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, had no answer for their NBA Finals opponent in Game 3.
"There's a lot of ways you can spin it, but they played with a great deal of aggression for longer stretches than we did,” Williams said. “We knew it was coming, we did not respond to it well."
Regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, who registered 41 points on Sunday in his second straight 40-point outing, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul spoke about how to guard him in the coming games.
“We have to build a wall, somehow, some way,” Paul said.
Despite the loss, the Phoenix Suns are still up 2-1 in the series and could take a commanding 3-1 lead if they bounce back on Wednesday (July 14). Devin Booker will look to respond to the disappointing shooting night he conjured up on Sunday with a stronger performance in Game 4.
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