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Booker, the Suns' rookies have fun discussing fouls in the opener

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LOS ANGELES – Ryan Dunn waited eagerly but patiently to hear what Devin Booker had to say about Dunn and fellow rookie draft pick Oso Ighodaro.

Dunn and Ighodaro had just completed their NBA regular-season debut, which the Phoenix Suns won in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers 116-113 at the new $2 billion Intuit Dome.

The rookies learned the difference between the preseason and the regular season. Dunn was thrown into the fire guarding future Hall of Famer James Harden one-on-one.

“It was real,” Ighodaro said. “Much more competitive than last season. It was important. It was just good more than anything to come out there, compete and get a win.”

“Man, it’s a different atmosphere,” Dunn said. “It was fun. You can really see the difference now in how intense every possession is in the regular season and how important everything is.”

The intensity continues on the road on October 25 when the Suns take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) at Crypto.com Arena.

In the season opener, Dunn fouled Harden on a 3-pointer with 2:58 left in the third quarter, which Booker reminded him of after the game.

“I'm going to talk about Oso, I don't know if I can talk about Dunn right now,” a smiling Booker said after the game as he and Dunn kept looking at each other. “Dunn is ready. He's ready for the league. We're going to work on Ryan, man. He just needs to figure some things out. Foul on 3-point shooters. We already told him that.”

Ighodaro couldn't let that happen, especially because Booker had committed his sixth foul with 1:27 left in regulation and Phoenix took a 101-99 lead.

“And you fouled,” Ighodaro said, standing a few lockers away from Booker.

Sitting directly to Booker's left, Dunn continued the double-team verbal response with Ighodaro on their 10-year veteran.

“I have a question: Who was more of a hack, like the freshmen or you, because you just fouled?” Dunn said as he and Ighodaro combined to commit four fouls, with Dunn drawing three.

Booker had not committed a foul since November 22, 2022 in a home win over the Lakers.

“Six quick ones,” Ighodaro added. Booker picked up six fouls in 32 minutes of play. “Also, six quick ones,” Dunn added. “Some of these may be questionable.”

Booker smiled and ended the three-man conversation. “You’re right, they treat me like a rookie out here, man,” Booker said. “Sad.”

Dunn scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting in nine minutes and was 0-2 from 3, while Ighodaro also scored two points and grabbed six rebounds in 13 minutes.

“For me and him to come out and play the way we did, I think we did pretty well,” Dunn said. “Obviously there were a few mistakes on certain things that we can work out. I think in the minutes we've had, we're just trying to come out and compete. I think we were ready for the opportunity.”

Dunn wanted to take on the challenge of defending the opposing team's best offensive player. He protected Lakers superstar LeBron James and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham well in the preseason, but the Virginia rookie was amazed at the increase in intensity in the regular season.

He learned about it immediately when he tried to check Harden, who finished the game with 29 points, 24 of which came in the second half.

“Not just for a rookie, but for anyone, especially when (Harden) has the responsibility of making the most plays and scoring at the same time,” Booker said. “He just gets a lot of possessions with high-ball screens and if you give him the same diet on defense he will expose you.”

Dunn shouldn't feel too bad. Kevin Durant also guarded Harden most of the time.

It is not easy.

“You can’t really take anything away from him,” Durant said of Harden, his former teammate in Oklahoma City and Brooklyn. “You just have to play hard and hopefully he hits a hard shot over you. I just tried to apply pressure, guard the ball all over the field and use my length a little bit. Coach (Mike Budenholzer) also did a good job increasing our coverages.”

Ighodaro shared the spot with backup Mason Plumlee to give the Suns a larger lineup.

“I like it,” Ighodaro said of playing as a four-piece. “I think I can grab offensive rebounds, I can set flares. We have a lot of shooters on this team. Take photos of these guys. I think I can guard the perimeter. It gives us a different look.”

The Clippers collected 13 offensive rebounds as 7-footers Jusuf Nurkic, Ighodaro and Plumlee allowed them to smash the glass with putbacks.

The rookies still held their own in their NBA debut – and against Booker after the game.

Do you have any opinions on the current state of the suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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