After the game, the game-high scorer Devin Booker had some thoughts to share on his team going forward. "We wouldn't put a limit to what we gotta do, but obviously a championship's the goal," Booker said.

Golden State and Phoenix will square off in a matchup of Western Conference opponents. The teams square off Friday for the first time this season.

Before the Suns game on Monday, Devin Booker had a full-circle moment with USA Basketball team director, Grant Hill.

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was named an NBA All-Star Game starter in the frontcourt for the Western Conference on Thursday.

Booker notched 26 points (9-21 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and one steal across 39 minutes during Monday's 111-109 victory over the Clippers. Booker had a strong showing once again and continues to put up excellent scoring numbers on a steady basis as one of the Suns' go-to options on offense.

While Booker was not named a starter, his teammate Kevin Durant was, giving the Suns at least one All-Star this season. Durant will join Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić as the All-Star starters in the Western Conference.

We are now 43 games into the 82-game slate for the Phoenix Suns - and the result to this point haven't necessarily been what was expected coming into

The Phoenix Suns (24-21) play the final of their homestand against the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-21) on Wednesday.

Western Conference counterparts who are jockeying for position in the crowded postseason chase meet on Wednesday when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns.

Led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Western Conference's eighth-place Suns have played well in January, winning seven of their last nine, and are 8-4 overall this month. The Clippers are sixth in the West standings, led by veteran stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, plus their top scorer this season Norman Powell.

This presupposes that the trade for Beal is the original roster construction problem in Phoenix that must be solved -- that under the new collective bargaining agreement, building a team around three max salary players, one of whom is performing far below a max level, is untenable.