Highlights

• "There's some history" between the Suns and the Pelicans, Devin Booker explained after his 52-point performance.
• Booker snaps out of a cold streak with a historic performance in a pivotal victory as the Suns jockey for position in the Western Conference.
• Phoenix proves that they are among the most dangerous teams in the league with the road victory over the Pelicans.

On Monday night, the Phoenix Suns picked up a much-needed 124-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, thanks to the heroics of Devin Booker. The All-Star guard made history by joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with three straight 50-point games against a single opponent.

Booker has turned into a different beast once matched up against the Pelicans. When asked about the reason he performs at such a high level against this team, he was able to point out one reason, as Terry Kimble of Pelican Scoop detailed.

"I'm playing the same way. The crib is close, I have a lot of family in attendance. I grew up coming here, it's the first NBA arena I've been to. There's some history here." - Devin Booker

Booker was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan but relocated to Mississippi, which is a neighboring state to Louisiana, the home state of the Pelicans. Although Booker has a history with the geographical area of New Orleans, there is also history involving the team.

This historic stretch of 50-point games occurred following Zion Williamson's controversial last-second dunk against the Suns during a matchup last season in December 2022.

Williamson voiced the reasoning for his decision due to the tempers that flared during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, in which these two teams faced off in an intense first-round battle. Although Booker didn't explicitly mention the history between the two teams, these foes aren't unfamiliar with tension brewing.

Booker Couldn't Be Stopped vs. Pelicans

Nothing New Orleans did could slow down the All-Star

Devin Booker couldn't do anything wrong on Monday night, and the Pelicans were on the receiving end of it, as the Suns guard didn't just light up the scoreboard, but dished out nine assists as well.

This was an emphatic bounce back game from Booker. The monster performance followed back-to-back games in which he didn't cross the 20-point threshold, most recently a 25-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Suns' head coach Frank Vogel shared a very simple philosophy to get Booker going early.

"Just give him the basketball, let him do the rest. He's had some great games against [the Pelicans]." - Frank Vogel

The Suns did just that, and it was effective from the get-go. Booker was red-hot once the game clock started. In the first 24 minutes of action, Booker finished with 37 points on six made three-pointers. He carried his offensive explosion into the second half, finishing the game with 52 points, while dishing out nine assists.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Devin Booker has more 50-point games (8) than every other player in Suns history combined (6).

This marked the second game this season that Booker finished with 50 or more points against the Pelicans. Although the Pelicans are undermanned due to Brandon Ingram being sidelined with a bone bruise injury in his knee, the Pelicans have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

Pelicans forward, Herb Jones, was the primary defender on Booker and is expected to make an All-Defensive team this season. However, none of that mattered, as Booker couldn't be stopped.

The former Kentucky product usually makes a killing at mid-range with 52 percent of his shot attempts coming within that area. However, he showcased his stellar shooting ability, converting a career-high eight made shots from beyond the arc.

Although Booker won the three-point contest in 2018, he hasn't had a game that consisted of a flurry of threes.

This game carried great importance for the potential outcome for both teams. Phoenix moved up to seventh in the Western Conference and trail New Orleans by just a single game for the sixth seed. They also obtained the advantage of having the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pelicans.

The Suns haven't lived up to expectations this season, but performances such as this, prove how dangerous they can be.