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Devin Booker suffered an ankle injury in Phoenix's 118-109 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Booker rolled his ankle when he stepped on his teammate Royce O’Neale’s foot. NBA insider Shams Charania gave an update on Booker’s injury status.
“The Suns and Devin Booker are bracing for his right ankle sprain to keep him sidelined for at least the next 7-10 days,” Charania said.
The timeline is not too serious after many were concerned about the Suns’ dynamic scorer. Phoenix is 31-19 with Booker. They are 4-7 when he is not in the lineup.
If Booker misses ten days, he will likely miss the next four games. Booker has already missed Sunday night’s 118-110 loss to the OKC Thunder.
Booker is playing at his usual top level. He averaged 25.0 ppg in February.
How will the Phoenix Suns fare without Devin Booker?
The Phoenix Suns are facing a tough stretch without Devin Booker.
Phoenix will travel to the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. They will then host two Eastern teams. They get a small break against the Toronto Raptors before hosting the NBA-leading Boston Celtics in another challenging game.
It won't get any easier when they return East for a four-game road trip. The journey includes stops in Cleveland, Boston, Charlotte, and Milwaukee. That's three of the East's top clubs.
Devin Booker might return for a portion of the four-game road trip, depending on his status. Phoenix will need him back as soon as possible. They can't afford a multi-game collapse in the fiercely competitive East.
Phoenix is 35-26 and seventh in the Western standings. They need to keep winning to find their way back into the top six and playoff safety.
The Suns did get some help as Bradley Beal returned to the lineup. He will shoulder the load in Booker’s absence. Beal led the team in scoring with 31 points in Booker’s first missed game on Sunday night. Beal’s efforts were not enough to outduel Shai Gilegous-Alexander’s 35 points.
Phoenix got lucky as Royce O’Neale and Jusuf Nurkic avoided serious injuries on Saturday in the same game Booker rolled his ankle. Both players were back in the starting lineup in Sunday’s loss to OKC on the second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix will need to stay healthy to stay among the top contenders in the West.
