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Devin Booker, Jamal Murray exit Monday’s games with injuries
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A pair of star players were injured during separate games on Monday, with Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray exiting the eventual loss to Dallas with a right ankle sprain, and Suns shooting guard Devin Booker sustaining a right groin injury in the road contest at the Lakers ( X links via the Nuggets and Dave McMenamin of ESPN).

Murray, who is a candidate to make his first All-Star appearance this season, was deemed questionable to return Monday but didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were up two points entering the final frame and wound up losing by 10 without their second-leading scorer.

It’s unclear if Murray will miss additional time with his ankle injury. Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. will likely receive more minutes if the Canadian guard is ruled out of future games.

Denver is fairly banged up right now, with starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun out multiple weeks due to their own injuries and third-year wing Julian Strawther continuing to miss time with a back issue.

As for Booker, he was ruled out at halftime of the game in Los Angeles. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (X link), all the Suns currently know is that the four-time All-Star experienced soreness in his groin.

Phoenix’s all-time leading scorer has yet to miss a game in 2025-26 after making 75 appearances last season. Through 21 games, the 29-year-old is averaging team highs of 25.7 points and 6.9 assists while also contributing 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per night.

Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea are among the Suns who could take on additional play-making duties with Booker out at least the remainder of Monday’s game.

The Suns are also shorthanded, as Jalen Green continues to be sidelined with a hamstring strain he has aggravated multiple times. Second-year forward Ryan Dunn did return to action on Monday after missing the past five games with a sprained right wrist, though Grayson Allen was ruled out with an illness.

This article first appeared on Hoops Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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