PHOENIX – This sounds familiar. A sprained ankle of a key player in March. A shadow of uncertainty as Phoenix Suns are entering a key part of their season.
Devin Booker did not play in the 118-110 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The All-Star guard sprained his right ankle during Saturday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. The Suns have not publicly commented on the severity of the injury, saying only that initial X-rays were negative. Coach Frank Vogel said before Sunday’s game that Booker was still being evaluated. He planned to provide an update on Tuesday.
In itself, this is not serious. Ankles are turned and twisted on every basketball court, playground or professional court. It just stings a little more in this market. Almost a year ago to the day, Kevin Durant, warming up before his first home game after being traded to Phoenix from Brooklyn, sprained his ankle. He missed three weeks, robbing the Suns of time needed to develop chemistry. They lost in the Western Conference semifinals.
Booker’s situation is different because, unlike Durant, he has been here for a while. It’s not like he’s finding his way on a new team. But it’s also worse for the simple reason that Phoenix can’t survive long without Booker. He’s too important as a point guard, a fact underscored by the Suns’ topsy-turvy performance against the Thunder.
Big man Jusuf Nurkic grabbed a franchise record 31 rebounds – the most by one NBA player in one game this season, an effort Vogel called incredible.
Jusuf Nurkic set a franchise record on Sunday with 31 rebounds. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Bradley Beal scored 31 points and the Suns rallied from a 24-point deficit, taking a 6-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Thunder (42-18) prevailed, later pulling away with a 10-0 surge.
“It went down quickly,” Beal said of the Phoenix leader.
The Suns (35-26) are in seventh place in the Western Conference, but they are 2-4 since the All-Star break with two confusing losses to the Rockets. What could make matters worse is the remaining schedule. It’s brutal. As of Tuesday’s game in Denver, the Suns have 21 games remaining. Fifteen will face teams ranked fifth or better on Monday in their respective conferences. The face of the Suns Boston twice. Denver twice. THE Clippers twice. Minnesota twice. And Cleveland twice.
This would be a difficult task at full power. Being without Booker for a week or two — if that ends up being the case — would make things more difficult. The Suns are 4-7 this season without Booker, who is averaging 27.5 points and 6.8 assists.
Sunday’s loss left Phoenix furious. The frustration was clear. Vogel was angry with the official.
“They fouled Kevin Durant all night,” he said. “For him to have the ball and get picked off three or four, maybe five times. And every time he tries to get open, he gets held back, which is something I really want the league to look at. »
Durant said in the locker room: “I don’t talk about that.”
The biggest problem was Phoenix’s turnover, which is nothing new. As of Sunday, the Suns were averaging 14.1 per game, which ranked 25th in the league, worst among playoff contenders. Against Oklahoma City, they committed 22 which led to 31 points for the Thunder. Part of that was due to Oklahoma City’s defense — the Thunder led the NBA in forced turnovers — but a lot of it came from Phoenix’s sloppiness.
Durant threw an inside pass that was intercepted. Nurkic threw a ball into the crowd. Beal lost control. After four turnovers in five possessions in the first half, Vogel called time and the Suns headed to the bench as many of the home spectators booed.
“I think we all agree in the locker room that this needs to change,” Nurkic said.
When asked how the Suns could solve their turnover problems, Beal simply said, “Shoot the ball.”
In other words, stop crossing the line.
“We tried to make risky plays sometimes, cross-court passes,” said Durant, who had 20 points. “They get their hands on it. There will be a lot of pressure on us at all times. … We have to be better.
A good sign for the Suns: they rallied. Eight minutes from the end of the third quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sank a short jumper to give Oklahoma City an 80-56 lead. The Suns looked dead. Then the game turned. Durant made a 3. Grayson Allen made a 3. Beal scored from the inside. By the time Eric Gordon After scoring 3 minutes into the fourth quarter, the Suns went on a wild 35-9 spurt and led 91-89.
It was incredible: For a stretch in the first half, the Suns had played some of their worst basketball. However, during this second half, they did their best. In many ways, it reflected their season. Every time this team seems to find a rhythm, with the big three of Booker, Durant and Beal forming a dangerous core, the Suns stumble. Or someone gets hurt. One week, Phoenix looks like a contender in the Western Conference. Next time it looks like a potential first-round blowout.
Fans need consistency. Or maybe a therapist.
We still have time.
“Yes and no,” Beal said. “We have time, but we can’t keep saying we have time. We only have (21) games left. It’s a good amount of games to really get us going and get us going right before the playoffs. I think it will be really good for us, but we TO DO I have to get started. We can’t keep talking about it. We need to. We need to hit this steamroller head on.
(Top photo of Devin Booker after his injury Saturday against the Rockets: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)
