Inside The Suns

Suns Speak on Devin Booker Injury

Mike Budenholzer and Kevin Durant discussed what happened to Devin Booker after the Suns' loss to the Pacers.

Brendan Mau

Dec 19, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) passes the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) passes the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) during the first quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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PHOENIX -- Just as the Phoenix Suns were finally at full strength for the first time all month, Devin Booker left Phoenix's 120-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter due to left groin tightness.

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer provided a brief update on Booker postgame:

"We talked a little bit about it in the back. He doesn't remember a play or know exactly when or where it happened, but I'm pretty sure it was some time early in the third quarter." (via Suns JAM Session Podcast)

Booker had been putting together a solid performance with 17 points and six assists in 25 minutes before jogging to the locker room during a timeout with 5:18 left in the third and never returning. He was also undercut on a 3-pointer that led to an awkward ankle roll early in the first quarter.

Booker entered the night as one of three Suns players (Tyus Jones and Royce O'Neale) who had played in every game this season.

Bradley Beal (16 points) was just returning from a two-game absence due to right knee swelling and has missed 10 of the Suns' 26 games this season. Kevin Durant (game-high 37 points and 10 rebounds) has also been out for 10 games so far this year.

Booker, Beal and Durant were playing in just their 11th game together this season and Phoenix fell to 8-3 when all three are healthy.

Durant shared his thoughts on Booker's injury postgame.

"That sucks. You hate that injuries can get in the way of beautiful basketball, the game of basketball," Durant said (via Arizona Sports).

"That's a part of it, but it's still something (that's) tough to take. Hopefully, Book gets better by the hour, and we'll see how he feels the next couple days and move on from there."

This injury is especially tough because Booker looked to just be finding his groove after a slow start to the year having scored 25-plus points in nine of the Suns' last 10 contests before the loss to the Pacers.

Booker has also dealt with this injury in the past at an eerily similar time of the season:

After coming off three days of no games before Indiana, the Suns (14-12) will next start a stretch of five games in eight days beginning against the Detroit Pistons (11-17) Saturday, so Booker could be in danger of missing a good amount of games depending on how much time he needs to rest and recover.

After Detroit, the Suns travel to play the Denver Nuggets Monday, then host Denver on Christmas Day Wednesday and the Dallas Mavericks next Friday before going on the road against the Golden State Warriors for the second night of a back-to-back and closing the month at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on New Year's Eve.

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Brendan Mau
BRENDAN MAU

Brendan Mau is a staff writer for Suns on SI. Brendan has been a credentialed media member covering the Suns since 2023 and holds a bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Follow Brendan on X @Brendan_Mau for more news, updates, analysis and more!

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