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Devin Booker is listed as questionable on the official injury report for the Phoenix Suns’ game on Monday, January 19.
The Phoenix Suns sit seventh in the Western Conference at 32-24, having exceeded expectations this season. But the schedule is tightening. The second half of the season has arrived and Phoenix cannot afford to lose ground.
Thursday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs did not go the way they needed. The Suns fell 121-94 in a game that unraveled quickly, and the final score was not even the most concerning part of the evening. During the game, Devin Booker went down with a hip injury.
Saturday brings the Orlando Magic into town. The injury report ahead of that game tells a difficult story.
Booker’s Status Against the Magic
Devin Booker exited Thursday’s loss to the Spurs with right hip soreness and did not return. Saturday’s injury report removed all ambiguity. He has been officially ruled out.
It is the latest entry in a frustrating pattern. Booker has already missed time this season with a sprained ankle and a strained groin. The hip strain makes three separate right leg injuries in one campaign.
The numbers tell the rest of the story. Phoenix is 5-7 in the 12 games Booker has missed this season. They have gone 4-4 over the last stretch without him. A team with playoff aspirations cannot absorb that kind of inconsistency for long, and the margin keeps narrowing with every game that passes.
Booker is averaging 24.7 points and 6.1 assists per game this season. When he’s not on the floor, Phoenix loses the offensive engine that makes everything else run.
Allen Listed as Questionable
Grayson Allen enters Saturday having missed the previous four games. He carries a questionable designation with an ankle injury, another reminder of how unpredictable this season has been from a health standpoint for Phoenix.
Allen has appeared in just 35 games this season. His availability has been a recurring problem, and his absence compounds the issues Booker’s absence already creates.
The good news for the Suns is that Dillon Brooks returns from suspension on Saturday. That stabilises things considerably on the perimeter. But whether Allen joins him determines how much defensive depth head coach Jordan Ott can actually work with against an Orlando team that leads the league in free throws made per game.
What the Suns Face Without Booker
Jalen Green showed Thursday night that he can carry an offensive load when needed. He finished with 26 points on 11-of-23 shooting in a season-high 26 minutes, looking fully healthy and the most confident he has appeared all season. That matters for Saturday.
Mark Williams will be asked to anchor the interior again. Collin Gillespie provides secondary ball-handling. The pieces are there to be competitive without Booker. Thursday showed that much of the damage came from the defensive end, not the offensive one, which makes Brooks’ return more significant than it might appear on paper.
Orlando arrives at 29-25 with Paolo Banchero averaging 21.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Magic are a physical, well-coached team that will test Phoenix’s frontcourt regardless of who is available.
GettyPhoenix Suns guard Jalen Green dribbles the ball. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Suns
Phoenix needs Booker healthy. That has been true for most of this season and it remains true now. Three right leg injuries in one campaign is a pattern that requires monitoring, and the timeline for his return from the hip strain is not yet clear.
Saturday against Orlando is manageable without him with Brooks returning and if Allen can go. The Suns have enough to compete.
But the bigger picture does not change. Seventh in the West.
Every game matters down the stretch.
Keith Watkins Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins
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