Suns' Devin Booker looks to continue hot streak vs. Nuggets

By foxsports
Published

Rookie Devin Booker looks to continue his torrid late-season play as the Suns head to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Thursday night.

The game can be seen on FOX Sports Arizona, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Booker's big opportunity has come due to injuries to Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, and he's making the most of it.

After breaking out by averaging 20.1 points over a 10-game stretch, Booker fell into a bit of a slump by scoring 10.8 per game on 29 percent shooting over his next eight. But he's bounced back with an average of 26.8 in his last four, including 32 in Wednesday night's 128-97 loss to New York.

Alex Len overcame a slow start to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds, giving him 19.3 and 13.7 per game over six consecutive double-doubles.

After losing a franchise record-tying 17 straight road games, Phoenix (17-47) won two in a row before returning home Wednesday. Now it will try to make it 3 out of 4 against the Nuggets (26-38) this season.

"We need to come out more aggressive. We need to hit first -- that's how we were able to have success on the road," Booker said. "Those first five minutes will be important."

Kenneth Faried has given the Nuggets a big spark lately. The fifth-year forward was averaging just 12.2 points and 8.7 rebounds on Feb. 23 but has averaged 19 and 11 in his last seven games, with six double-doubles.

He had 25 points and 20 rebounds in Sunday's 116-114 overtime win over Dallas, then followed that up with 24 and 10 in a 110-94 win over the Knicks on Tuesday.

"He's probably top-three best energy players in the league," rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay said. "As long as he plays with that energy, it's good for us."

Mudiay also has been good for the Nuggets, averaging 19.5 points in his last four games.

The Nuggets are 4-2 on their current seven-game homestand and will be trying to win three in a row for the first time since Dec. 11-15. But they've lost eight of 10 overall and four of the past five home matchups with the Suns.

Knight had a career-high 38 points and 11 rebounds in Phoenix's 114-107 win in Denver on Nov. 20. He was back in uniform for Wednesday's game vs. the Knicks for the first time since suffering a groin injury but did not play, saying he didn't feel ready. The injury has caused him to miss 21 games.