"They said we were done btw"- Suns fans are hyped after Devin Booker and Kevin Durant help Suns win Game 4 and level the series

The Phoenix Suns have leveled their 2023 Western Conference Semis at 2-2 against the Denver Nuggets behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker's combined 72-point effort.

The Suns took care of homecourt in Games 3 and 4. They recorded a 129-124 win in Sunday's Game 4 contest, successfully erasing an 0-2 deficit this series.

Devin Booker continued his fine run in these playoffs, tallying 36 points, six rebounds, and 12 assists on 77.8% shooting. Kevin Durant joined the party, also dropping 36 points. He had 11 rebounds and six assists. KD shot 57.9% as the Suns put on an offensive clinic.

Booker and Durant's efforts canceled Nikola Jokic's heroic 53-point, 11-assist game on 66.7% shooting. It was a career-high effort for the former two-time MVP in regular season and playoff basketball. Jamal Murray also had a decent game, as he tallied 25 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

The Phoenix Suns were counted out of this contest after going 0-2. Chris Paul's injury in Game 2 further hampered their shot at saving their season against the Denver Nuggets. Suns' fans let the team's critics hear it after they completed a comeback to tie the series 2-2. One fan wrote online:

Phoenix Suns flip the screen with some help off the bench for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant

They are weaker defensively and only have two reliable scorers in Devin Booker and Durant. However, the Suns have flipped the script in their series against the Denver Nuggets with some quality bench minutes from their second unit.

Game 3 saw Jock Landale make an impact coming off the bench, while Landry Shamet came up big in Game 4. Booker and Durant did their thing by going off for 36 points apiece, but without Shamet's contribution on both ends, the Suns' chances of winning Sunday's contest were in jeopardy.

Shamet played 30 minutes off the bench, tallying 19 points on six-of-nine shooting, including five-of-eight from 3-point range. The reserve guard played excellent defense against Jamal Murray while limiting the latter from impacting offensively when the Nuggets nearly gained control.

Landry Shamet finished with a box +/- of +15, second behind Jock Landale, who played 20 minutes off the bench. Four out of five Suns' bench players had a positive box +/- score. Kevin Durant's +/- of 0 was the highest among the starters, with the other four being -1 or worse.

The Suns' bench outscored the Nuggets bench 40-11, which made the biggest difference in the eventual outcome of Game 4. Monty Williams made some adjustments by inserting players like TJ Warren and Terrence Ross in the last two games. They collected DNPs in the first two games in Denver.

Williams will have to continue relying on them in Game 5 on the road to take a commanding 3-2 series lead back to Phoenix for Game 6.

About the author

Arhaan Raje is an Assistant Content Manager and Senior Writer with Sportskeeda's NBA/WNBA team with four years of experience.

Arhaan focuses on features, trends, listicles, and the latest rumors and reports circling the league's top teams and players. He emphasizes detailed research to create impactful content for readers. A fan of Xs and Os, Arhaan provides technical deep dives in his reporting.

Arhaan completed his bachelor's degree in BBA in Media and Entertainment Management from Mumbai, India.

Arhaan admires the killer mentality of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He respects LeBron James for being a role model on and off the court. The bold and decisive Gregg Popovich stands out as Arhaan's favorite basketball coach. LeBron's epic chase-down block in the 2016 NBA Finals has a special place in Arhaan's basketball memories.

He has interviewed former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and Ronnie 2K, the face of NBA2k and Marketing Director.

Sports isn't the only passion he has pursued professionally. Arhaan is also into performing arts in the music industry as a percussionist.

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