Booker's Historic 70-Point Game
On March 24, 2017, Devin Booker produced the defining scoring
performance of his young career when he poured in 70 points
against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Booker was only 20 years
old, making the performance even more remarkable.
Booker played 44:58 and made 21 of 40 field-goal attempts,
including 4 of 11 three-pointers. He repeatedly attacked the
basket and earned 26 free throws, converting 24 of them.
He also contributed 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and
1 blocked shot.
The game developed in an unusual way. Boston dominated the
first half and led 66-43 at halftime. Booker had scored
19 points through two quarters, an excellent total but hardly
an indication that he was about to finish with 70.
Booker exploded after halftime. He scored 23 points in the
third quarter and then added 28 more in the fourth. His
51 second-half points helped Phoenix score 77 points over
the final two quarters and turn a potential blowout into a
much closer 130-120 final score.
Despite Booker's historic individual performance, Boston
never surrendered the lead. Isaiah Thomas scored 34 points
and handed out 7 assists for the Celtics, while Al Horford
finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.
Game Information
| Date |
Matchup |
Location |
Final Score |
Attendance |
| March 24, 2017 |
Phoenix Suns at Boston Celtics |
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts |
Boston 130, Phoenix 120 |
18,624 |
Devin Booker — 70 Points
| MIN |
FG |
FG% |
3PT |
3PT% |
FT |
FT% |
REB |
AST |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
PTS |
| 44:58 |
21-40 |
.525 |
4-11 |
.364 |
24-26 |
.923 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
70 |
Booker's Scoring by Quarter
| Quarter |
Points |
| 1st Quarter |
10 |
| 2nd Quarter |
9 |
| 3rd Quarter |
23 |
| 4th Quarter |
28 |
| Total |
70 |
First half: 19 points
Second half: 51 points
Final two quarters: 14-of-26 FG, 3-of-9 3PT,
20-of-21 FT
Phoenix Suns Box Score
| Player |
MIN |
FG |
3PT |
FT |
OFF |
DEF |
REB |
AST |
TO |
STL |
BLK |
PF |
+/- |
PTS |
| Derrick Jones Jr. |
31:48 |
2-3 |
0-0 |
3-4 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
-9 |
7 |
| Marquese Chriss |
21:08 |
1-10 |
0-3 |
1-2 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
-24 |
3 |
| Alex Len |
25:35 |
4-5 |
0-0 |
3-7 |
1 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
-15 |
11 |
| Devin Booker |
44:58 |
21-40 |
4-11 |
24-26 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
-6 |
70 |
| Tyler Ulis |
34:11 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
1-2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
-12 |
3 |
| Leandro Barbosa |
30:01 |
5-12 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
+1 |
11 |
| Jared Dudley |
28:03 |
2-3 |
1-2 |
1-2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
+14 |
6 |
| Alan Williams |
24:16 |
3-9 |
0-0 |
3-6 |
2 |
12 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
+1 |
9 |
| T.J. Warren |
DNP |
| Eric Bledsoe |
DNP |
| Tyson Chandler |
DNP |
| Jarell Eddie |
DNP |
| Brandon Knight |
DNP |
| Dragan Bender |
DNP |
| Ronnie Price |
DNP |
| Team Totals |
240 |
39-86 |
6-19 |
36-49 |
10 |
39 |
49 |
23 |
13 |
9 |
3 |
30 |
|
120 |
Phoenix shooting: 45.3% FG, 31.6% 3PT,
73.5% FT. Team rebounds: 11.
Boston Celtics Box Score
| Player |
MIN |
FG |
3PT |
FT |
OFF |
DEF |
REB |
AST |
TO |
STL |
BLK |
PF |
+/- |
PTS |
| Jae Crowder |
27:07 |
4-8 |
2-5 |
3-3 |
0 |
10 |
10 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
+6 |
13 |
| Amir Johnson |
27:01 |
4-9 |
0-1 |
0-2 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
+26 |
8 |
| Al Horford |
30:16 |
7-10 |
0-1 |
1-2 |
3 |
7 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
+6 |
15 |
| Isaiah Thomas |
32:43 |
10-20 |
3-9 |
11-11 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
+26 |
34 |
| Jaylen Brown |
25:05 |
4-8 |
1-3 |
0-1 |
1 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
+12 |
9 |
| Marcus Smart |
31:12 |
1-13 |
1-9 |
6-6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
-18 |
9 |
| Kelly Olynyk |
17:13 |
4-7 |
1-3 |
4-5 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
13 |
| Terry Rozier |
15:21 |
4-7 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
9 |
| Gerald Green |
12:32 |
4-5 |
4-4 |
3-3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
+8 |
15 |
| Tyler Zeller |
11:27 |
0-3 |
0-0 |
0-2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
-8 |
0 |
| Jonas Jerebko |
10:03 |
2-4 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
-6 |
5 |
| James Young |
DNP |
| Avery Bradley |
DNP |
| Demetrius Jackson |
DNP |
| Jordan Mickey |
DNP |
| Team Totals |
240 |
44-94 |
14-41 |
28-35 |
12 |
38 |
50 |
31 |
15 |
8 |
5 |
32 |
|
130 |
Boston shooting: 46.8% FG, 34.1% 3PT,
80.0% FT. Team rebounds: 7.
Scoring by Quarter
| Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Phoenix Suns |
16 |
27 |
37 |
40 |
120 |
| Boston Celtics |
29 |
37 |
31 |
33 |
130 |
From 19 Points to 70
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Booker's performance was
how quickly it developed. He scored 10 points in the opening
quarter and 9 in the second, giving him 19 at halftime while
Boston held a commanding 66-43 lead.
Booker then scored 23 of Phoenix's 37 third-quarter points.
He made 6 of 10 shots from the field and all 10 of his free
throws during the period, raising his game total to 42.
The fourth quarter pushed the performance into historic
territory. Booker played all 12 minutes and scored 28 points,
shooting 8-of-16 from the field, 2-of-6 from three and
10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Booker therefore scored 51 points in the second half alone.
Over those final 24 minutes he shot 14-of-26 from the field
and made 20 of 21 free throws.
70 Points in a Loss
Unlike many of the most famous individual scoring performances
in NBA history, Booker's 70 points did not result in a victory.
Boston had built too large an early advantage for Phoenix to
overcome.
The Celtics led 29-16 after the first quarter and 66-43 at
halftime. Phoenix outscored Boston 77-64 in the second half,
but the Suns never completely erased the deficit and lost
130-120.
Booker accounted for 70 of Phoenix's 120 points, or more than
58 percent of the Suns' scoring. Alex Len and Leandro Barbosa
were the only other Phoenix players to reach double figures,
each scoring 11.
Historical Significance
Booker's 70-point night immediately placed him among the
highest-scoring players in NBA history. At only 20 years old,
he reached a scoring level normally associated with the
greatest offensive players the league has produced.
The performance also established a new Phoenix Suns
single-game scoring record. Booker surpassed the previous
franchise mark of 60 points set by Tom Chambers against
the Seattle SuperSonics on March 24, 1990 — exactly
27 years earlier.
Booker's 70 also came in Boston, a franchise with one of the
longest histories in professional basketball. No visiting
player had ever produced a scoring performance quite like
it at TD Garden.
The game became an early indication of the elite scorer
Booker would become. While Phoenix was near the bottom of
the Western Conference standings in 2016-17, its 20-year-old
guard demonstrated that he was capable of producing one of
the most explosive offensive performances in league history.
Game Details
Date: March 24, 2017
Arena: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Final Score: Boston Celtics 130, Phoenix Suns 120
Attendance: 18,624
Game Time: 2:31
Officials: Bill Kennedy, Matt Boland and Eric Dalen.
Technical Fouls: Derrick Jones Jr. and Jae Crowder.
Devin Booker: 70 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists,
3 steals and 1 block in 44:58.
Shooting: 21-of-40 FG, 4-of-11 3PT,
24-of-26 FT.
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