Devin Booker exits Suns’ defeat against Spurs due to hip discomfort.
AUSTIN, Texas — Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker participated for nearly 9 minutes during his team’s 121-94 defeat against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday before being sidelined in the first half due to soreness in his right hip.
Suns coach Jordan Ott did not offer any updates regarding Booker’s condition following the game.
“[He] attempted to return to the game,” Ott stated. “[Had to] prevent him from overexerting himself. [He] wasn’t moving well when he came back in.”
Booker exited the game with 5:24 left in the first quarter while Phoenix was behind 19-16 and did not come back until 4:46 remained in the first half. He played only 71 additional seconds before leaving the game again with 2:35 remaining in the first half and heading to the locker room. The five-time All-Star did not return.
“He felt well enough to re-enter,” Ott remarked. “Initially, I didn’t observe anything unusual during the first few plays. However, [I] certainly noticed something at the end of that second stint.”
Before this recent injury, the 29-year-old had missed seven consecutive games from January 25 to February 5 due to a sprained right ankle sustained on January 23 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Booker made his return to play two games against Philadelphia and Dallas before the Suns decided to rest him on February 11 against the Oklahoma City Thunder for right ankle injury management.
A veteran in his 11th year, Booker leads the Suns in scoring, averaging 25.2 points per game on 45.5% shooting from the field, along with 4.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The Suns will face the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Mortgage Matchup Center.
