Phoenix Suns superstar guard Devin Booker will return to the floor on Wednesday night for a tilt against the Miami Heat after missing four games due to COVID-19, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.
The Suns later confirmed it.
Devin Booker is available tonight. pic.twitter.com/x1hvhV0SKk
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 9, 2022
The 25-year-old three-time All-Star had been putting up his usual, All-Star-caliber numbers for a Suns team that has quickly become the class of the NBA with a league-best 52-13 record heading into Wednesday’s game against Miami. Through 54 games, Booker was averaging 25.6 points per game while shooting 36.8% from three-point range — his best mark since the 2017-18 season.
The Suns fared well enough in his absence, going 3-1, but it included close calls with the Orlando Magic on Tuesday in a three-point win that came after Cam Johnson buzzer-beater downed the lowly New York Knicks on March 4. Phoenix’s lone loss during Booker’s absence came in a 2021 NBA Finals rematch against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Life after the All-Star break hasn’t necessarily been kind to the Suns, either. After going 48-10 during the proverbial first half of the 2021-22 season, Phoenix lost two of three upon their return to action before Booker was sidelined due to COVID.
While Booker will rejoin the team in Miami to face the Heat for the second leg of a back-to-back, the Suns return home for a two-game stand against the Toronto Raptors and the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers — both of whom are in the bottom half of their conference’s standings.
