Booker hears 'MVP' chants after 51-point outburst

Devin Booker torched the Chicago Bulls for a season-high 51 points successful conscionable 3 quarters arsenic the Phoenix Suns stretched their winning streak to six games with a 132-113 victory connected Wednesday night.

Booker scored 25 points successful the archetypal fractional and had 26 much successful a sublime 3rd quarter. After a contested 3-pointer splashed done the net, "MVP! MVP!" chants broke retired crossed Footprint Arena, and the 26-year-old is surely making an early-season case.

"It's the best," Booker said astir the location crowd. "I don't cognize however galore sellout crowds that is successful a row, but it's impressive. Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, it doesn't substance what time of the week it is. They amusement up and amusement out."

The three-time All-Star had a bargain precocious successful the 3rd earlier sprinting downcourt and flushing location a dunk for his 50th and 51st points. He added six assists and 4 rebounds.

"A feline similar that gets successful a bushed and it's excessively late," Bulls defender Zach LaVine said. "He gets it going and it's over."

Booker didn't play successful the 4th fourth with the Suns holding a steadfast lead.

Even much singular than Booker's constituent full was his efficiency. He changeable 20-of-25 from the field, going 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He is the 2nd subordinate implicit the past 25 years with 50 points and 80% shooting done the archetypal 3 quarters of a game, joining James Harden successful 2017, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"It felt similar a double-sized rim retired there," Booker said. "If I emergence up, it's going in."

Booker present has 4 vocation 25-point quarters, tied with Kobe Bryant for 2nd astir implicit the past 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info research. Only Stephen Curry has much than Booker with eight.

"There's not a level wherever helium can't score," Suns manager Monty Williams said. "He tin usage some hands, helium tin people with a manus successful his look and he's consenting to instrumentality the pugnacious shots."

It was Booker's 2nd consecutive 40-point game. He had 44 successful a triumph astatine Sacramento connected Monday night. The Suns person the champion grounds successful the Western Conference astatine 15-6 and person won 12 retired of 13 location games.

The Bulls struggled connected defence the full night, peculiarly against Booker and Deandre Ayton. Chicago manager Billy Donovan was peculiarly irritated successful the 3rd quarter, angrily calling a timeout aft Phoenix scored a mates of casual buckets.

DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 29 points. LaVine added 21.

The Suns took a 64-43 pb astatine halftime. Booker roasted the Bulls with 25 points earlier the break, repeatedly uncovering unfastened midrange leap shots.

"We threw everything astatine him," Donovan said. "We trapped him, we threw a box-and-one astatine him. We tried to look defender him, and to his credit, helium had a large night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.