Suns Face Major Test Without Devin Booker

The Phoenix Suns will be without Devin Booker for at least one week after he suffered a groin strain in their 125-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, according to the team.

Booker, who is leading the Suns at 25.6 points per game, could miss up to three important games for Phoenix. The Suns need Booker and Jalen Green on the court to try and stay competitive in the Western Conference.

The Suns play next against the Houston Rockets on Friday. Phoenix would then play without Booker on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves and possibly in their NBA Cup quarterfinal game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

The Suns' chances to win those games and advance to the semifinal of the NBA Cup dramatically fall without Booker and Green, who is out for a few more weeks with a hamstring strain.

Booker's absence will be felt mostly on offense, but he is the Suns' unquestioned leader.

In their win over Los Angeles, the Suns were led by Dillon Brooks, who had 33 points on 15-of-26 shooting. Phoenix improved to 13-9 as it continues to surprise teams across the league with its grit and toughness.

Booker, who is the Suns' franchise player, exited the game after he appeared for 10 minutes in the first quarter. Coach Jordan Ott spoke about Booker after the game:

"I think it was on the finish on (Lakers center) [Jaxson] Hayes he went chest-to-chest and he finished," Ott said.

"He fell and I don't think it was [felt] right away, but he mentioned it might've just been a couple plays after, and you could obviously see him trying to stretch it at that point. We kind of know where these things hit. We'll take a look tomorrow, [and know] more after that."

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