ATLANTA (AP) — The Phoenix Suns lost guards Devin Booker and Jalen Green to injuries in a 110-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Booker, a four-time All-Star, went down with 5 seconds remaining in the third quarter after rolling his ankle on the foot of Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu. He was on the floor for several minutes before walking to the training room under his own power — albeit limping and appearing to be in significant pain.
“Right ankle, rolled it on someone else’s foot. Pretty unlucky, so we’ll just have to take a look when we get back to Phoenix,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “Book really figured it out in the third quarter. It felt like, you know, he’d been doing so much for us all season long and then there he was in his flow state. That’s the tough part about it, but I know he bounces back incredibly fast.”
Booker scored 31 points in 28 minutes before the injury, including 16 in the third. He came in averaging a team-best 25.3 points and 6.3 assists.
Green’s first-quarter exit was quieter. Ott said he didn’t see the injury and that Green reported feeling pain during a timeout. It was the guard’s second game since returning from a right hamstring injury that sidelined him for 33 games.
“Jalen, got a little tightness. For precautionary reasons, took him out,” Ott said. “Jalen’s worked every single day to get back to go out and play basketball, and then basketball is taken away. So, it’s tough. It’s tough for his teammates, tough for him.”
The Suns play at Miami on Sunday night before heading back to Phoenix. Ott said both injuries will be assessed once the team is home.
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