Devin Booker’s injury woes continue as the Phoenix Suns star will sit out Saturday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons with left groin tightness.
The four-time All-Star had to leave Thursday’s game against the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter, managing 17 points and six assists before heading to the locker room.
It’s a tough break for the Suns, who had just gotten back to full strength with Bradley Beal returning to the lineup.
"You hate that injuries can get in the way of beautiful basketball," teammate Kevin Durant said after Thursday’s 120-111 loss. "Hopefully, Booker gets better by the hour."
The timing couldn’t be worse for Booker and the Suns. December has been particularly cruel to the 28-year-old guard when it comes to injuries.
Just look at his recent December history:
- 2023: Missed time with an ankle sprain
- 2022: Suffered multiple setbacks including a groin injury that kept him out for four weeks
- 2021: Sat out seven games with a hamstring injury
"We talked a little bit about it in the back," Suns coach Mike Budenholzer explained. "He doesn’t remember a play or knows exactly when or where it happened, but I’m pretty sure it was sometime early in the third quarter."
The Suns (14-12) haven’t announced how long they expect Booker to be sidelined. It’s his first missed game of the 2024-25 season.
Booker’s been playing great basketball when healthy this year, averaging 25.1 points and 6.4 assists per game. He even dropped a season-high 44 points against Minnesota last month.
"Hopefully, it’s nothing serious," center Jusuf Nurkic said. "For me, it’s a part of the game. We’ve got to figure it out."
The team will need to do exactly that as they face Detroit without their star guard, who’s been shooting an impressive 43.9% from the field and nearly 90% from the free throw line this season.
