Updating the previous story about the Devin Booker injury, it’s been reported that Booker could miss between 2-3 weeks. If true, it would obviously mean that Booker would miss the rest of the series with the Pelicans and likely half of the next series, should the Suns advance.
While the Suns do have a winning record without Booker, the Pelicans are playing good basketball and will be a tough out. Given Pheonix’s strong defense, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them advance to the next round to face either Dallas or Utah.
Obviously, Dallas is battling their own injury concerns, but Luka Doncic is expected to be back soon, and this Utah team has played like one of the best in the league at times. Either opponent could be viewed as the favorite if the Suns were to play without Booker.
But they obviously need to get past New Orleans first.
With 4:45 left in the third quarter on Tuesday, Suns star Devin Booker limped off of the court and into the locker room, immediately shifting the landscape of the game and the series.
After a dominant first half that saw him score 31 points on seven three-pointers, Devin Booker hurt his hamstring while jumping for a rebound in the third quarter. The star went to the locker room and never returned as Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans rallied to a 125-114 victory in Game 2.
While Booker has not yet been ruled out for Game 3, which will be Friday in New Orelans, the shooting guard does have a history of hamstring injuries which is a bit of a concern for the Suns. While coach Monty Williams said the team has played without Booker before and would adjust if needed, Phoenix would certainly be on more stable ground with their star since they went just 8-6 without him this year.
The team should have an update of their star’s condition on Thursday, but given Booker’s history with hamstring injuries, it might be prudent to expect him to miss at least one game, which gives the Pelicans a chance to make this series more competitive than people expected.
