Igor Kokoskov unveiled his best Quin Snyder impression. Devin Booker, meanwhile, sure looked like … Devin Booker.

Kokoskov opted not to call a timeout when Memphis’ Mike Conley hit a game-tying floater with 25.7 seconds to play, a strategy the Suns coach learned from his former boss in Utah because it prevents the opposing defense from getting organized. The Phoenix players knew the plan — Booker would choose to either call for a high pick and roll, or isolate against his defender and go to work.

The Suns star guard chose the latter. Booker hugged the ball to his left hip near midcourt as the seconds ticked down, jab-stepping and pivoting slightly to create the slimmest of distances between himself and defender Garrett Temple. Booker then took five dribbles to his left and pulled up, the ball swishing through the net with 1.7 seconds remaining.

That game winner lifted the Suns to a 102-100 victory over Memphis, capping a Sunday evening at Talking Stick Resort Arena with emotional swings Kokoskov likened to the novel “War and Peace.” But the win also finally lifted the weight of Phoenix’s seven-game losing skid, which had rapidly dampened the start of a season with promising expectations.

“I’m glad we found that grit …” Kokoskov said. “That’s a click. That’s a mental moment and psychological moment that we have to find as a group — a ‘refuse to lose’ mentality, like, ‘We’re taking this game and keeping it here at home.’

“Maybe it’s better to win by 20. But you win this way, it changes a little bit the whole psyche of the team in the locker room.”

Kokoskov and multiple players had proclaimed for two weeks that the Suns just needed one victory to create a snowball of positivity.

Phoenix’s early schedule has been one of the more unforgiving in the NBA. In their first nine games, the Suns have faced the Golden State (on the road), Denver (on the road) and Toronto — teams with only one loss apiece — along with playoff regulars San Antonio and Oklahoma City (on the road) and a Lakers squad with some guy named LeBron James. Even the Grizzlies, who thumped the Suns in Memphis last week, were a pleasant surprise, entering Sunday with a 5-2 record. But the consistent drubbings — the Suns’ net rating entering Sunday was an NBA-worst minus-13.8 points per 100 possessions — caused rookie standout Deandre Ayton to occasionally wonder, “Yo, is anybody tryin’?”

Also hampering Phoenix’s poor start: Booker’s health, which kept him out of three games and remained less than 100 percent Sunday. He briefly left the game in the first half to have his strained left hamstring examined in the locker room. He later walked through the tunnel following halftime with an electrode pad wrap — which stimulates the muscle — strapped to the back of his leg.

But that did not stop Booker from overcoming a 3-of-11 shooting start to morph into the Suns’ crunch-time catalyst.

He scored or assisted on 23 of Phoenix’s 25 fourth-quarter points, and twice gave his team the edge in the final 30 seconds. He scored 14 of his 25 total points in that last frame, making 4-of-6 shots and 5-of-6 free throws. And he played the entire period with five fouls, trading an occasional defensive lapse for opportunities to have an impact on the offensive end of the floor.

“He’s a guy who can land the plane,” Kokoskov said of Booker.

Added Booker: “You have to have confidence in yourself.”

Booker also received help from his friends. After he picked up his fifth foul with 5:45 left in the third quarter and his team trailing by eight points, a lineup primarily of reserves trimmed Memphis’ advantage to four entering the final 12 minutes. The second-unit star was rookie wing Mikal Bridges, who sank four 3-pointers and tied the game at 98 with a long ball with 2:27 left in the game.

“My mind was already locked onto the rim right before the ball even came to me,” said Bridges, who fired away even as two defenders closed out quickly. “I was already ready to shoot it.”

The Suns’ performance against Memphis was far from perfect. They committed a season-high 25 turnovers, which led to 33 Grizzlies points. Memphis scored 54 points in the paint. Though stars Conley and Marc Gasol shot a combined 5-of-29 from the floor, the Grizzlies’ bench outscored Phoenix’s 59-34.

But Ayton felt positive vibes when he arrived at the arena Sunday. He noticed teammates were more focused during regular pregame activities such as receiving treatment, lifting weights and watching film. With an early tipoff, the Suns traded their normal morning shootaround for a late-afternoon session, giving players extra time to rest.

“It felt like it was gonna be a good game,” Ayton said. “Everybody was ready.”

Then the Suns’ version of “War and Peace” unfolded.

And Kokoskov used his former boss’ timeout strategy.

And Booker chose to isolate.

And once Conley’s last-second heave clanged off the rim, Booker calmly pumped his fist near midcourt — steps away from where he hugged the ball to his left hip before driving for the game winner.

“It’s a new life around here,” Booker said. “New energy. You see a lot of smiles, and hopefully we like this feeling and want to come out and play that much harder.”

(Photo of Devin Booker’s game winner: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today Sports)