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Report: Suns' Devin Booker 'Appears Unlikely' to Play Games 3, 4 Because of Injury
April 20, 2022
Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker reportedly "appears unlikely" to play in Games 3 or 4 of the team's first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans because of a hamstring strain.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the full update Wednesday:
Booker suffered the hamstring injury in Game 2 against the Pelicans on Tuesday night. He'd been cooking New Orleans, scoring 31 points in just 25 minutes before exiting in the third quarter. He didn't return.
The three-time All-Star missed seven games early in the 2021-22 regular season with a hamstring issue.
He remained his usual uber-productive self when healthy, averaging 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.7 threes across 68 appearances to help Phoenix post the best record in the NBA (64-18).
The Suns will use a committee of players to fill the void while he's sidelined. Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet lead the group of reserves in line for more playing time.
Phoenix operated like a well-oiled machine throughout the regular season, even when one of its stars was forced out of the lineup. Trying to keep its championship hopes alive will be difficult if Booker is out for an extended period of time, though.
