Latest injury report issued by Phoenix Suns confirms fans worst fears
By Luke Duffy
The Phoenix Suns endured the worst moment of an eventful season on Saturday, as they fell to the Houston Rockets 118-109 at home. The defeat meaning the Suns dropped a position to sixth in the Western Conference, although that was somehow not the worst thing that happened at the Footprint Center on the night.
Neither was Bradley Beal returning from a hamstring injury only to swiftly exit again as a result of ejection. A needless spat with Jalen Green giving the referees no choice but to kick him from the game after only 20 minutes played. Thankfully he will be back soon, having only appeared in 31 games all season.
By far the worst moment of the night was Devin Booker rolling his ankle, and the latest injury update from the team has confirmed the worst nightmares of fans.
Booker is listed as out for the Suns' nationally televised game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it is unclear when exactly he will be back. Head coach Frank Vogel did reveal in the aftermath of the Rockets game that Booker had had an x-ray on the ankle, and that it had come back negative.
That doesn't mean he won't miss time though - and much like Beal's own gnarly ankle sprain from earlier in the campaign - it seems likely Booker will miss more games than the one versus the Thunder. The Suns will next be in action against the Denver Nuggets after that, in what will also be a game on national TV.
With only 22 regular season games left, this injury could seriously derail the Suns' postseason ambitions. There was some good news on the report, with both Royce O'Neale - who collided with Booker resulting in both hurting their ankles - not listed on the latest update. Center Jusuf Nurkic, who suffered a neck sprain, was down as probable.
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Even if Nurkic doesn't suit up, it is promising that he likely isn't going to miss a lot of time. Coach Vogel also mentioned he had been evaluated for a concussion after the Rockets loss, but that the neck sprain was the only issue he had. The O'Neale news is also a relief, because he has quickly become an important part of what the Suns are trying to do each night.
Both of these matter little compared to the update on Booker, which is terrible. With the hardest remaining schedule left in the league, the Suns need their talisman. To miss the Thunder game must mean the sprain is back - Booker is not known for sitting out unless absolutely necessary - and it likely foreshadows even more bad news in the coming days.