Devin Booker now expected to miss 2-3 weeks with Grade 1 hamstring strain
Devin Booker’s injured hamstring appears to be a bit worse than initially hoped.
A little over 24 hours ago, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Booker would likely miss Games 3 and 4 of the Phoenix Suns’ opening Western Conference Playoffs series against the New Orleans Pelicans. Well, now it’s looking like the All-Star guard will miss two to three weeks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who reported on Thursday that Booker has suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
At the time of Wojnarowski’s initial report, the Suns were still in the process of evaluating Booker’s MRI results, but there was optimism he would return sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, that optimism has disappeared as he’s likely to miss the entire first round and potentially more depending on how far Phoenix goes in the playoffs. If the series against the Pelicans goes to a Game 7, that would take place on April 30, just nine days from now.
The injury took place during the 4:45 mark of the third quarter in the Suns’ Game 2 loss to the Pelicans in Phoenix on Tuesday night. After dropping a remarkable 31 points in the first half of that outing — with the Suns holding a 1-0 series lead — Booker landed awkwardly trying to chase down a dunk attempt by Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes. Booker did not fall to the ground but did gingerly walk his way back to the locker room and did not return.
New Orleans was already ahead 77-74 when the injury occurred, but would go on to outscore the Suns by eight the rest of the way to secure a massive 125-114 upset victory. Game 3 flips to NOLA where the Pelicans are riding plenty of momentum. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at 9:30 EST on ESPN.
This is not the first time that Booker has dealt with hamstring issues either, which date back to the 2020-21 season. In his ESPN report, Wojnarowski notes that the former Kentucky Wildcat played through a hidden hamstring injury in the 2021 NBA Finals that resurfaced once again in November of this season and caused him to sit out seven games. The Suns went 5-2 over that span and are 8-6 on the season without him in the lineup.
Booker, 25, made his third All-Star appearance this past season after averaging 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists across 68 games for the Suns. He’s expected to earn his first All-NBA selection this season, possibly as a First-Team member. The seventh-year veteran, alongside Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, led Phoenix to an NBA-best 64-18 record this year.
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