The Phoenix Suns entered Thursday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs optimistic for a second half surge, with Jalen Green and Devin Booker nearing full health.
However, ranked second place in the Western Conference, the Spurs proved to be a tough matchup. To make matters worse, Dillon Brooks was unavailable due to suspension by the league for picking up too many technical fouls (16).
After being on a minutes restriction before the All-Star break, returning from injury, Green appeared healthy, posting an encouraging performance with 26 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals in 26 minutes.
That said, the Suns’ terrible injury luck continued. Booker suffered a hip injury early in the game and although he tried to come back, he was quickly pulled by head coach Jordan Ott.
Booker only ended up playing nine minutes and was added to the Suns’ injury list with hip soreness.
With Booker exiting early in addition to the absence of Brooks, the Suns didn’t stand a chance, falling to San Antonio by 27.
Following the game, Ott spoke about Booker’s injury saying: “Obviously, he tried to go back out there, we just saved himself from himself. He wanted to go out and play. He wasn’t moving great when he came back in.”
Given the fact that Booker did re-enter the game, there’s a chance he’ll be able to return to the lineup soon.
That said, Phoenix’ injuries to their stars this season have been tremendously unlucky. Booker and Green have already combined to miss 60 games.
As Phoenix prepares for their next matchup Saturday against the Magic, all eyes will be on Booker’s status.
