On Tuesday, the struggling Phoenix Suns will travel to Colorado to take on the defending NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. The Suns have lost four of their last six games and are currently amidst a two-game slump. On the flip side, the Nuggets are coming into this game on the back of six straight wins. If the Suns’ task wasn’t daunting enough, it has turned even tougher following the latest update about guard Devin Booker‘s availability.
Advertisement
The superstar has been ruled ‘Out‘ of the game with a right ankle sprain. He suffered the injury during the Suns’ loss to the Houston Rockets after accidentally stepping on his teammate Royce O’Neal’s feet and rolling his ankle. He tried to walk it off but had to be pulled out of the game and taken into the locker room for further evaluation.
Booker’s absence will be a massive blow for the Suns, who are desperate to end their recent slump. Phoenix will hope that Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal go nuclear and drag the team to an unlikely win.
Suns’ record without Devin Booker
The Suns’ superstar trio has played only 22 games together and is 13-9. Bradley Beal’s health has been a concern all season long, as the veteran guard has missed 29 games. The Suns have coped decently in his absence, boasting a 16-13 record. Kevin Durant’s injury history is lengthy, but he has missed only seven games this season. Additionally, Phoenix didn’t seem to miss the veteran forward and is 5-2 without him.
While the Suns have fared decently without Beal and Durant, they’ve been horrendous without Devin Booker. The superstar guard has missed 11 games this season and Phoenix has an abysmal 4-7 record. Numbers suggest that Booker is unequivocally the Suns’ most important player.
His absence in a critical game against the Nuggets is a massive blow to the Suns’ chances. They are sixth in the table, but only half a game ahead of the next in line, the Sacramento Kings, who are 5-5 over their last ten games.
The Suns are slumping at the wrong juncture of the regular season and could be forced to participate in the play-in tournament to earn a spot in the playoffs. The ninth-placed Los Angeles Lakers and tenth-placed Warriors are also inching closer and the only way Phoenix can weather the onslaught is by winning a few games. However, Booker’s absence has made the task arduous and put the onus of Beal and Durant to perform a miracle in Mile-High City.
