Josh Okogie scored a career-high five three pointers for the Phoenix Suns in their 124-104 win over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center Arena on Saturday earning him praise from All-Star forward, Kevin Durant and coach Monty Williams.

Okogie who was in the team’s starting five alongside Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Kevin Durant made an impressive five threes while shooting 6/6 from the free throw line and contributing 25 points and four rebounds to the win.

Booker led the Suns in scoring with 35 points, five rebounds and six assists while Durant added 20 points 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Demar DeRozan led the Bulls in scoring with 31 points while Zack LaVine had 27 points, four rebounds and four assists. 

Okogie’s performance has earned him accolades from Durant who has also advised him to stay aggressive. “Since I got here in the last three weeks, he’s been knocking down threes,” Durant said after the win.

“He’s been working on his threes in practice. He feels confident, if you’re a starter in a team and your team is passing you the ball, the coach puts confidence in you in the shots that you shoot, it makes you feel a little bit better. 

“We trust in him. We need him to continue to be aggressive. I mean, giving us 25 points. That just takes us to a level that I don’t think we all can see where that is. Ayton got into foul trouble and he filled in for him. He needs to just stay aggressive.”

Head coach Monty Williams also hailed the Nigerian star, “I thought the way he played in the last game was okay, his floor game was great, he didn’t have as much opportunity. 

“The teams close in on us like that, he’s definitely going to have a lot of opportunity whether he’s in the corner or wing. I thought he turned down a few shots today, the guys kind of let him have it but that’s not who we are. We need him and the other guys to be ready to make plays.”