Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was forced out of the Christmas slate finale against the Denver Nuggets due to his nagging groin injury.
Booker managed to play just four minutes, scoring two points on 1 of 2 shooting, before the injury flared up too much for him to continue, per NBA insider Shams Charania.
“Suns star Devin Booker is out for remainder of game vs. Nuggets due to his groin injury. Booker played just over four minutes to start the game.”
Suns star Devin Booker (left groin) will not return to tonight's game vs. the Nuggets 🙏
Booker played the first 4 minutes of the game until heading to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/c75uLtN3nq
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) December 26, 2022
The Suns have played their last three games without Devin Booker due to the same groin injury and it looks as though it hasn't fully healed just yet.
It's no surprise that the Suns have been atrocious with their All-Star shooting guard on the sidelines. Phoenix has gone 1-4 this season in games in which Booker has sat out. Without their offensive hub on the floor, their rotation just doesn't have enough firepower.
With such a close race in the Western Conference playoff picture, losing Booker for an extended period of time could mean a precipitous drop down the standings.
Prior to the Christmas Day game, the Suns sat at 4th place in the West just two games back of first. That's the same distance between them and the 9th place Portland Trail Blazers.
With teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers on the bubble just outside the playoff picture, the battle for seeding is bound to get even more intense as the season goes. Having a healthy Devin Booker is priority number one for the Suns to keep their standing.
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