Apart from taking the L against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, the Phoenix Suns also lost their superstar Devin Booker to an injury. The one-time All-Star had to abruptly leave the game in the fourth quarter after sustaining what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Suns head coach Monty Williams confirmed this to Gerald Bourguet of FanSided and offered an update on Book's status.
Without their best player, the Suns dropped the ball against their Western Conference rivals in overtime, 126-130, at Talking Stick Arena. The home team could have certainly used Booker in the five extra minutes, where they got outscored by Denver, 16-12. Nikola Jokic punished the Suns with a near triple-double effort of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and eight dimes.
Booker still finished with a team-high 31 points, five rebounds, and five assists before his untimely exit. The 24-year-old sharpshooter shot 11-of-21 from the field and 3-of-9 from past the arc in 40 minutes. His teammate Mikal Bridges also spoke about Booker's condition after the match.
The Suns, meanwhile, will face the Nuggets again tomorrow in the same building. It will be in Phoenix's best bet to sit out Booker in the second night of a back-to-back just to be safe, especially after that concerning injury. After finally being recognized as an All-Star for the first time last season, Booker is enjoying another stellar season for the Suns, tallying 22.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 13 games.
The arrival of Chris Paul in the Valley has turned the Suns into legitimate contenders in the West, as they currently hold an 8-6 slate. Book's possible absence, meanwhile, can be troublesome for Phoenix. Suns fans are certainly hoping he'll be back to 100 percent in no time.