Washington Wizards: 3 keys to victory over the Phoenix Suns

Key  to Victory #3: Stop Devin Booker

While the Washinton Wizards enter the bubble with a big hole at shooting guard, the Suns don’t. Stopping – or at least slowing – Suns shooting guard Devin Booker should be priority number one for the Wizards. Booker enters the bubble as the NBA’s 10th leading scorer, averaging 26.1 points per game.

In one meeting this season, the Wizards came out victorious over the Suns, 140-132. However, it wasn’t because they were able to slow down Booker, who finished the game with 27 points and eight assists on 50 percent shooting. That night, the Wizards needed every bit of Bradley Beal’s 35 points in order to keep up with Booker and company. Now they won’t have those buckets to rely on.

And Booker is no stranger to going off against the Wizards. He dropped 50 and 33 against them in their two meetings last season. Both were Wizards wins, and this is a new team (obviously), but the defensive deficiencies are still there for Booker to exploit.

The Wizards will attempt to keep Booker in check by throwing a committee of their best defenders at him throughout the game. Troy Brown Jr, Isaac Bonga, and Admiral Schofield will all get a shot.

The strategy should allow for a cycle of fresh legs to follow Booker around the court, but knowing the foul troubles Bonga and Schofield seem to consistently get into, it may be a necessary cycle, too.