The Phoenix Suns have been here before — and Devin Booker is already tired of it.
After clawing back from a double-digit deficit in Salt Lake City only to fall short again, Booker didn’t mince words about the Suns’ early-game issues and growing urgency.
“We gotta figure out better ways to start the game so we’re not exerting all the energy to get back into it,” Booker told AZCentral’s Duane Rankin after a 138-134 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. “We showed a lot of fight. We showed we can do it. It’s multiple games we’ve done that now, so we gotta figure out the starting thing.”
"We've got to figure out ways to start the game so we're not exerting all our energy to get back into it, but we showed a lot of fight."
Devin Booker as Suns trailed 19-2 in OT loss to Jazz.
"We needed this one. Puts more pressure on the next one. I know it's early in the… pic.twitter.com/Cou1XCZZu6
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 28, 2025
Suns’ Rally Not Enough
Phoenix trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half, falling behind 27–7 midway through the first quarter as the Jazz shredded their defense with crisp ball movement. Jazz star Lauri Markkanen and promising point guard Keyonte George got the Jazz moving early
Despite the rough start, Booker led the comeback charge, scoring 34 points on 11-for-26 shooting while adding 10 assists. He hit two late threes to heroically get the game to overtime. Grayson Allen tacked on 23 points, while Mark Williams played 31 minutes off the bench and recorded a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
But once again, it wasn’t enough. Markkanen flourished, scoring a career-high 51 points and showing why he’s been the topic of so many trade rumors in the past two seasons.
“It’s tough when you have to dig out of those holes every night,” Booker told AZCentral. “We needed this one. It puts more pressure on the next one. I know it’s early in the season, but we gotta start looking at these games as ones that we must get.”
Early Struggles Becoming a Pattern
The loss marked the third straight defeat for Phoenix. The Suns have not won since an opening night victory over the Sacramento Kings (120-116), and prior to the loss to the Jazz, had lost by an average of 25 points.
The Suns entered the season with plenty of questions amidst a roster in flux. The Suns moved on from Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, after the failed experiment of forming a super team around Booker did not yield any traction in the playoffs. Beal’s buyout, and Durant’s trade to the Rockets brought in Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, the later whom has not played a game for the Suns yet this season.
Green’s return could be enough to help the Suns get back on track – or at least lighten the offensive burden on Booker’s shoulders.
What’s Next for the Suns
Phoenix’s offense has shown flashes but not enough consistency to drive the team to wins. The Suns rank 26th in team field goal percentage (43.5%) and are one of the bottom-half offenses in the league with 116.8 points per game. The Suns also give up 129 points per game, the 29th mark in the NBA through four games.
The Suns get some home cooking on October 29 when they face the Memphis Grizzlies, and will get a rematch with the Jazz on October 31 – this time playing in the friendly confines of Phoenix.
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