Major Christmas Day injuries should have ripple effects on the Suns

The Phoenix Suns have been cursed with injury to key players so far this season, and Christmas Day was no exception. Although they thankfully didn't see anybody go down, superstar Devin Booker missed out again as a result of the left groin tightness that has seen him sit the last few games.

Other than that though the main players on the roster were out there and helping the team to a needed win over the Denver Nuggets, with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scoring 27 points, while starting center Jusuf Nurkic managed to play 30 minutes and grabbed an impressive 13 rebounds in the process.

Some of the Suns' rivals however, were not so lucky.

You obviously don't wish injury on any player - and the game suffers when superstars are out for extended periods of time - but there is also no doubt that two injuries suffered to other players in the Western Conference is good news for the Suns. The kind of break they needed to get their faltering season back on track.

First up and most likely the worse of the two was Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. Their tilt versus the Minnesota Timberwolves was the second of a five game slate on the 25th, and his side attempted a spirited comeback after falling down big in the first half. They came up short, but even worse for them was the calf injured that forced him to leave the game.

Doncic has had a calf issue all season, while several witnesses at the arena insisted Doncic left on crutches. Not a good sign for the Mavericks as they try and make it back to the NBA Finals, although it is just the break the Suns needed in their own schedule. It is unclear at this point if Booker will play in their next game, but that will come against these Mavericks.

Having neither Doncic or Booker on the floor would appear to even the odds, although there's no doubt it will also be less of a spectacle for the fans. Not that the Suns will care, they've just gone back above .500 and this is another opportunity to stick a much needed win on the board against an opponent who - much like the Suns all season - are dealing with injury to a key player.

Then it was the turn of the Los Angeles Lakers to take on the Golden State Warriors - and although they won that game by two points - they also loss Anthony Davis to an ankle sprain. Unlike Doncic, Davis was rumored to have left San Francisco without the need for crutches, but The Valley knows from Durant's own recent ankle sprain that it is not an injury to rush back from.

The Suns aren't due to face the Lakers anytime soon, but that's not the point with this one. The two have similarities in that they're built around an old star (Durant and LeBron James) and one in their prime (Booker and Davis). The supporting cast beyond that can be hit and miss, while only one loss currently separates the two in the standings.

This is a chance for the Suns to leapfrog their division rivals - and with their upcoming schedule having some soft fixtures - there has never been a better time to do so. Then again, this team has struggled to beat the opponents it is supposed to so far this season. To escape Christmas unscathed and watch others suffer the same injury problems the Suns have though, is a win for the franchise.