The Phoenix Suns, without Devin Booker, lost 107-117 at home to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, despite Kevin Durant scoring a season-high 45 points and Bradley Beal adding 25. The duo’s impressive performance couldn’t compensate for Booker’s absence, who has missed the Suns’ last four games. He was injured late in the fourth quarter of the Suns’ defeat to the Rockets after mistakenly stepping on teammate Royce O’Neale’s leg and rolling his ankle.
Booker has missed four games, and the Suns are 2-2 during that time. Questions concerning his return to the lineup went unanswered until Saturday’s postgame press conference. Duane Rankin, the Suns beat reporter, inquired about Durant’s injury status. The Suns superstar confirmed that Booker will return during the team’s four-game road trip, which begins Monday in Cleveland. However, KD also stated that the team will be cautious.
“I’m excited to get him back, but we definitely don’t want to rush him back because it’s an important part of the season.”
The Suns’ decision to ease Booker back into the lineup is logical. Ankle injuries are tough to recover from, but they can worsen quickly. Phoenix does not want Booker to miss any additional time due to injury as the team enters the fourth quarter of its regular season.
Suns’ record without Devin Booker
When the Suns acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards during the 2023 summer, they anticipated he would form a powerful three with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, they have only played 22 of the available 64 games together.
All three players have missed numerous games this season. Beal has been out for 29 games, but the Suns have performed admirably in his absence, posting a 16-13 record. Durant has been the most fit of the three, missing only seven games, but Phoenix fared well without him, winning five and losing two.
While the absences of Beal and Durant have not been crippling, Booker’s has. The Suns are 6-8 in the 14 games that their star guard has missed. Booker is the glue that holds Phoenix’s championship hopes together.
Booker’s comeback is critical to the Suns’ progress, since they are only 3.5 games ahead of the 10th-placed Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference standings and face a four-game road trip that includes games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks. It’s unclear whether the team will play him in Cleveland on Monday night, but they hope he’s ready.