The Phoenix Suns were brought crashing down to earth on Tuesday, as despite a spirited fightback they came up short versus the Miami Heat.
The loss beginning a six-game road trip in the worst way, although head coach Jordan Ott will have liked how his team, as always, did not accept defeat and battled until the end.
Devin Booker injury scares makes bad night even worse
Making a tough night even worse was the fact that Devin Booker came down awkwardly under the basket late in the third-quarter, although he did gut it out and make it back onto the court in the fourth.
Coach Ott did call Booker "a warrior" during his postgame media availability, and also made the point that getting him back out there before his left ankle (the supposedly injured area) seized up seemed to be the right call at the time.
"Man, dude is a warrior right?"
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 14, 2026
Suns coach Jordan Ott on Devin Booker returning early in the 4th quarter after injuring ankle late in 3rd.
"Put him back in the 4th because we knew it was going to stiffen up. As soon as he was ready, we were going to put him in. You could tell… pic.twitter.com/i0aFL6TVMG
Booker has rightly been getting his flowers this season, but there remains a chance he could now miss some time on what is the longest road trip of the season out East to date.
A situation made even worse by the fact Jalen Green has been cleared for contact on the court, and looks set to return to the rotation soon.
In a charmed season for the franchise, of course bad luck would strike right when they have the chance to be fully healthy.
Fans in Phoenix have been counting down the days to see a tandem of Booker and Green out there, but there could yet be a setback to that plan if Booker has to sit for any amount of time.
The travel required is surely noe helping any potential swelling, and neither is Dillon Brooks having one of his more eventful showings in that loss to the Heat.
Fans aren't going to turn their backs on him after some antics we've come to expect from him, and he has done an amazing job as Booker's co-star in The Valley this season. Remember these baseless rumors?
But it would have been nice to have him slide down to one of the best third offensive options in the entire league and allow Green to get his, yet we might be waiting a while longer.
The most important part in all of this is to ensure Booker won't miss any extended length of time, otherwise their playoff hopes are over. If that delays taking to the court alongside Green, the good vibes really will have left the building.