Suns guard Devin Booker scores 43, breaks Barkley's home-opener record
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The gist
Suns guard Devin Booker scored 43 points as Phoenix beat Golden State 131-122 in its home opener.
The 43 is the most ever by a Sun in a home opener.
Background
Devin Booker is a Phoenix Suns guard, No. 15, a five-time All-Star entering his 12th NBA season after being drafted No. 13 overall in 2015. The Suns, coached by Jordan Ott, were coming off a 124-83 blowout loss in Portland before their home opener against the Golden State Warriors. Booker entered the season with a new number, more criticism and growing optimism in pursuit of an NBA championship, and The Ringer ranked him No. 19 in its NBA Top 100 while noting his 3-point accuracy has sat around 33 percent for two straight years.
How it unfolded
- Oct 21, 2026Booker scored 23 points (7-of-13 shooting, 9-of-9 free throws) with four rebounds as the Suns fell behind 17-0 and lost 124-83 in Portland.
- Oct 23, 2026The Ringer ranked Booker No. 19 in its NBA Top 100, noting his 3-point accuracy has hovered at 33 percent for two consecutive years.
- Oct 24, 2026Booker scored 43 points (17-25 FG) with seven rebounds and seven assists in the Suns' 131-122 home-opening win over the Warriors, scoring 17 in the third quarter as Phoenix pulled ahead.
- Oct 24, 2026The 43 points were the most ever for a Suns player in a home opener, breaking the previous mark set by Charles Barkley, who was in attendance.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- The Ringer's Kirk Goldsberry calls Booker a "sweet-shooting Kobe acolyte trying to lift his team back to contention" while noting some statistical markers suggest a slight decline.
- Player
- Booker said the bench currently has more chemistry than the starting group and that the starters should look at their substitutes as a model.
- Player
- After the win, Booker said any win in the league shouldn't be taken lightly and that it was "definitely a win that we needed," while noting the team still has things to clean up.