Devin Booker and his Phoenix Suns squad scorched the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening match in the first round of the Playoffs, torching LeBron James' purple and gold squad, 99-90, Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Devin Booker Sets a Record

The series-opening win is considered a good start for the Suns, which made their first playoff appearance after an 11-year drought. The win also cemented the name of Booker in the record books as he did not only manage to set the record for the most 30-point game in franchise history but also with his outstanding debut performance in the postseason with 34 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.

According to NBA.com, the 24-year-old Suns guard waited for five seasons to have his moment in the Playoffs. Despite the shoulder injury acquired by their team leader and NBA veteran Chris Paul, Booker's co-star DeAndre Ayton also had a stellar performance to secure the lead in the series against the Lakers.

Meanwhile, the CP3 shoulder injury resulted from an awkward collision with a teammate after a follow from LeBron James coming off a miss from Talen Horton-Tucker with 9:25 minutes. The collision forced the floor general of the Suns to the locker room, leaving doubt surrounding his return to play, CBS Sports reported.

The team faced adversity after CP3 went down and resulted in a shoulder injury, which put his availability for the remainder of the game in jeopardy. The Suns' young star, Booker, elevated his game. Booker stepped up in his game big time to carry his team.

ALSO READ: Memphis Grizzlies Erases Golden State Warriors in NBA Playoff Picture, Ja Morant Erupts With 35 Points

Anthony Davis, LA Lakers Struggle

The Suns' center outshone Lakers star Anthony Davis inside the paint. DeAndre Ayton became the 2nd player in playoff history to score 20+ points, 15+ rebounds with a 90% field goal shooting percentage, next to Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell.

In the first half, Booker tallied 17 points, along with the 14 points of Ayton, with 51% FG for the team to take the lead at Halftime, 53-45.

In the second half, Davis continued to struggle after only shooting 3 for 9 and scoring only 7 points in the first two quarters. He was not able to dodge the defensive physicality thrown by the Suns in the paint. Davis ended up only scoring 13 points, shooting a rough 5-for-16 from the field, numbers that were far from his young counterpart who finished the game with 91% FG shooting, Silver Screen and Roll reported.

The Los Angeles Lakers tried to have a run in the remaining minutes of the game, but it was stopped after LeBron got tangled with Chris Paul after making a free throw. Then, Cam Payne and Alex Caruso had a heated argument which could result in a brawl if were not prevented by Laker Big man, Montrezl Harrell.

Despite only responding to the altercation, Harrell got a technical foul along with Caruso. Cam Payne got two technical fouls which resulted in an ejection.

Also, Booker took over in the final minutes, dropping his floaters, which extended their lead and secured the upper hand in the game.

On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams mentioned in his post-game interview that they respect the LA Lakers, and they plan not to relax as there are future Hall of Famers playing in their rosters. But he also emphasized the value of DeAndre Ayton in the paint, as he made his presence felt and created space for the Phoenix.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel also commended Booker for his performance. He cited that Booker is a scoring machine.

RELATED ARTICLE: Lebron James' Dagger Three Locks Lakers in West 7th Seed, Posts Triple-Double Against Steph Curry's Warriors
WATCH: LAKERS at SUNS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | May 23, 2021 FROM-NBA