Suns star Devin Booker will likely be sidelined at least seven-to-10 more days due to the right ankle sprain he suffered Saturday night, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Booker was injured late in Saturday’s game against Houston when he and teammate Royce O’Neale got tangled up on defense. Booker immediately headed to the locker room to get his ankle checked out, and coach Frank Vogel said X-rays were negative.
Booker was held out of Sunday’s game as Oklahoma City staged a late rally to win in Phoenix. Charania notes that the Suns are 31-19 with Booker this season, but only 4-7 when he’s not available.
Phoenix plays three times this week, traveling to Denver on Tuesday before returning home for a game against the Raptors on Thursday and a meeting with the Celtics on Saturday. Booker may be able to play next Monday at Cleveland, but a 10-day absence would push his return to next Thursday in Boston.
Every game without Booker is significant for the Suns, who are currently seventh in the West and are battling to avoid the play-in tournament. He has appeared in 50 of the team’s first 61 contests and continues to be among the league’s most efficient scorers, averaging 27.5 points per game while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.9% from three-point range.
Can we just get an article each time Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are both healthy and playing basketball at the same time
Phoenix completely shot their wad on the Big 3 Durant, Booker and Beal. Their championship window is this year only. Not looking good at all. Can’t stay healthy. Can’t defend either. Adam Silver could end up a happy guy if Phoenix has to play the Lakers or Golden State in the Play-In round.
Denver is your Western Conference champion again. Minnesota ain’t nowhere near ready. They got a taste of what the Playoffs will be like for them. They ain’t gonna have enough offense. Clippers started awful with Harden, and then were good, but can’t stay healthy, and don’t look as good as before the break.
Adam Silver seeing a nightmare unfold with small markets OKC, Minnesota, Sacramento and Utah on the upswing with Lakers, Golden State and Phoenix trending way downward for the future.
Suns are like every team in the west if one of their big 3 is hurt during the playoffs that team doesn’t make it to the next round. Nuggets is the only team that i can see surviving a big injury unless its Jokic.
Lakers have a chance to surpass Suns on the standing by March 14
Suns next 5 games
2 Celtics games (1st place in East)
1 Nuggets
1 Cavs
Assumption:
Lakers 5 wins in a row
Did you even look at the laker’s schedule? OKC, Kings, Bucks, T-wolves, and kings again. All playoff teams with a better record than Lakers. If they even come out with a 3-2 record that would be a good 5 games for them.
Suns aren’t going to avoid the play-in. They’ll be fortunate to avoid 10th
Knicks should have gone all in on Booker this summer. They have zero assets left