PHOENIX—The Denver Nuggets—understandably—were putting a huge share of their defensive pressure and attention on Phoenix’s high-scoring duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter of Game 4 on Sunday night.
“We were trying to make other guys beat us not named Booker, not named Durant,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone explained.
Landry Shamet obliged.
Shamet made four crucial 3-pointers in the final period, Booker and Durant both scored 36 points, and the Suns beat the Nuggets 129–124 to even their Western Conference semifinal playoff series at two games apiece.
Booker also finished with a playoff career-high 12 assists, including a few to Shamet, who finished with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Shamet had scored 14 points the entire postseason before Sunday….