Preview: Suns at Thunder, 5:30 p.m., FOX Sports Arizona
Streaming live on FOX Sports GO
OKLAHOMA CITY – In a season where little has gone right for the Phoenix Suns, third-year guard Devin Booker continues to be a shining exception.
Booker has scored 30 points or more in five of his last six games heading into Thursday night’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder (37-29).
For the season, Booker is averaging 25.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds -- all career-best marks.
But for all his success, the Suns (19-47) have continued to struggle. They enter Thursday’s game with a 1-13 record over the past five weeks and 3-21 since beating the Thunder on Jan. 7 in Phoenix.
"We want to be known as winners. We want to turn around this franchise, and we know it's not going to be easy," Booker told the Arizona Republic.
"It's not going to be pretty or cute. There are going to be ugly, grinding, nasty moments when you get on each other sometimes and that's just how it's going to have to be."
The Suns and Thunder have split two games this season, with Oklahoma City winning 124-116 in Phoenix last Friday. Booker has averaged 32.5 points and shot 55 percent from behind the arc in those two games.
Russell Westbrook had 43 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in last week’s win in Phoenix.
Westbrook is averaging 25.4 points for the season, with Paul George contributing 22.2 and Carmelo Anthony averaging 17.0.
The Thunder have suffered defensively since guard Andre Roberson since suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury Jan. 27 in Detroit. Roberson spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time since being injured.
"I'm doing everything I can to stay involved," he said. "Being around the guys just makes me feel not alone, because a lot of time, I'm alone -- four walls -- by myself, doing rehab with someone one-on-one.”
Roberson remains unable to watch his team from the bench or accompany the team on road trips as he works to regain his mobility.
The Thunder had the NBA's sixth-rated defense with 103.6 points allowed per 100 possessions when Roberson went down. Over the last 17 games, they are giving up 109.2, 21st-best in the league. They are forcing 1.2 fewer turnovers without Roberson, and opponents have improved their 3-point shooting by 4 percent.
With Tuesday night's 122-112 loss to the Houston Rockets, the Thunder fell to seventh in the bunched-up Western Conference. Westbrook had 32 points, seven assists and nine turnovers in the loss.
