Bucks at Suns
Second-year shooting guard Devin Booker continues to display that he will be a potent scorer for many years to come and the Phoenix standout attempts to help the Suns to another victory when they host the struggling Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Booker banked home the winning 20-footer at the buzzer Friday to cap a 33-point effort as Phoenix snapped a five-game losing streak and posted a 105-103 victory over the host Sacramento Kings.
Booker has been on fire over the last 15 games, scoring at least 20 in every contest and averaging 26.3 points during the stretch. "I was aiming for glass," Booker said of his decisive shot over tight defense by Sacramento forward Matt Barnes. "It was no fluke." The Bucks fell 121-117 to the Denver Nuggets on Friday and have lost five straight games and 10 of their past 11. Milwaukee All-Star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting as he bounced back from Wednesday's poor performance against the Utah Jazz when he had just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FSN Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (21-28): Milwaukee dug itself a 22-point third-quarter deficit against Denver before making an unsuccessful charge that resulted in another defeat. "It's playing like we did in the second half for the whole game," Bucks point guard Matthew Dellavedova said afterward. "I think it's that simple. To win in this league we have to bring that intensity and commitment for the full 48 (minutes)." Power forward Jabari Parker was one of the players who took a while to get going as he scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half.
ABOUT THE SUNS (16-34): The backcourt duo of Booker and point guard Eric Bledsoe mesh well and stand out as bright spots during a dismal campaign. Bledsoe tallied 20 points in the victory over Sacramento for his eighth 20-point outing in 10 games, including three performances of 40 or more points. The duo's strong play has led to a reduction in minutes for third guard Brandon Knight, who tallied 12 points against the Kings after averaging two on 2-of-15 shooting over the previous three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bucks have won three of their last four games in Phoenix after losing their previous 24 visits (a skid that began after a victory on Feb. 21, 1987 and ended on Jan. 17, 2013).
2. Phoenix SF T.J. Warren scored 21 points against Sacramento after averaging 6.7 on 7-of-20 shooting over the previous three games.
3. Milwaukee SG Khris Middleton (hamstring) indicated he plans to make his season debut Wednesday against the Miami Heat.