Phoenix Suns veteran point guard Ricky Rubio was forced to make an early exit on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers with what is apparently a hip-related injury. The 6-foot-3 point guard himself provided an update on what caused him to leave the ballgame after just 26 minutes of play, adding that he is currently uncertain if this injury will cost him any time on the sidelines.
Rubio said the injury is to his hip. He is waking around with a slight limp, but not nearly as bad as when he left the court. Did not know about his status for Friday’s game or beyond. #Suns
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) January 2, 2020
Suns insider David Kevin provided a clip of how Ricky Rubio sustained the injury, and as it turned out, the 29-year-old actually slipped on a wet spot on the floor.
Sweaty Anthony Davis slides all over the floor & what happens to Ricky Rubio on the very next play?
I get it's mostly kids/volunteers (?) but what are we training them to do? What if that was LeBron on a drive? pic.twitter.com/SMhfJ6ZJjW
— David (@theIVpointplay) January 2, 2020
What Kevin is implying here is that perhaps the maintenance team could have done a better job sweeping up the area following Anthony Davis hitting the deck. If they had done their job properly, then maybe the Suns guard's injury could have been easily avoided.
Rubio finished the game with nine points, one 3-pointer, five rebounds, nine assists, and a steal. He was unable to help his squad down the stretch, as the Lakers held off the Suns to emerge victorious in this one, 117-107.
There is currently no word on the severity of the injury, but based on initial reports, it does not appear to be anything too serious. Nevertheless, it would not be surprising if Rubio ends up sitting out one or two games in order to fully recover.
The Suns are off on Thursday, but will be back in action on Friday to face off against the New York Knicks. We should be able to get an update from the team soon regarding Rubio's status for that one.