Phoenix Rises to the Challenge: Suns Determine to keep Hooping Without Booker
Devin Booker was the Ironman of the three stars on the Phoenix Suns, but that will end Saturday night.
Booker will sit out for the first time this season due to left groin tightness when the Suns host the Detroit Pistons.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have each missed 10 games already this season while Booker was able to answer the ball for each of Phoenix’s first 26 games.
But he was injured just past the midway point of the third quarter in a 120-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night and was formally declared out Friday after missing practice.
Phoenix hasn’t yet provided a timetable for how long Booker might be sidelined.
Beal was highly bummed out by the injury to Booker.
“You’re definitely disheartened by it because you never want to see anybody hurt, definitely not the guy of his caliber,” Beal said on Friday. “But I mean, you just got to keep hooping. You got to keep going, keep pushing.”
Booker is averaging 25.1 points, 6.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Only Durant (26.4) has a higher scoring average on the Suns. Beal is third on the team at 17.7 points per game.
The failure to have everyone healthy has been a problem for the Suns as they are just 1-9 when Durant is unavailable.
