Phoenix Suns experienced the worst moment of an eventful season Saturday, as they lost to the Houston Rockets 118-109 at home. The loss dropped the Suns to sixth place in the Western Conference, although it wasn’t the worst thing that happened at the Footprint Center that night.
Bradley Beal also did not return from a hamstring injury only to quickly emerge following an expulsion. A pointless argument with Jalen Green left the referees with no choice but to eject him from the game after just 20 minutes of play. Fortunately, he will be back soon, having only played in 31 games all season.
Booker is listed as out for the Suns’ nationally televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it’s unclear when he’ll be back. Head coach Frank Vogel revealed the day after the Rockets game that Booker had had an x-ray on his ankle and it came back negative.
That’s not to say he won’t miss time — and much like Beal’s own high ankle sprain earlier in the campaign — it seems likely that Booker will miss more games than the one against the Thunder. The Suns will next be in action against the Denver Nuggets, in what will also be a nationally televised game.
With only 22 games left in the regular season, this injury could seriously derail the Suns’ playoff ambitions. There was some good news in the report, with Royce O’Neale – who collided with Booker, causing both ankle injuries – not being listed in the latest update. Center Jusuf Nurkic, victim of a neck sprain, was probably unavailable.
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Even if Nurkic doesn’t dress, it’s promising that he probably won’t miss significant time. Coach Vogel also mentioned that he was evaluated for a concussion after the Rockets’ loss, but the sprained neck was the only issue he had. The O’Neale news is also a relief, as he has quickly become an important part of what the Suns try to do every night.
These two things matter little compared to Booker’s update, which is terrible. With the toughest schedule in the league, the Suns need their talisman. Missing the Thunder game must mean the sprain is back – Booker isn’t known for sitting out unless absolutely necessary – and that probably portends even more bad news in the coming days.
