Devin Booker missed yet another game for the Phoenix Suns due to injury on Sunday afternoon.
Booker didn’t play in the Suns’ matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday due to a right calf strain, coach Frank Vogel announced before the game at Little Caesars Arena. Booker underwent an MRI to determine the severity of the strain, but Vogel did not provide a timetable for his return.
Booker has now missed five of the Suns’ first seven games of the season with injuries, first in his left foot and ankle. He returned on Thursday night for their 132-121 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and dropped 31 points with 13 assists.
Yet on Saturday, Booker had soreness in his ankle and calf, so the Suns held him out of their 112-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s when Booker underwent an MRI.
"He got an MRI and it revealed a calf strain, so there is an injury there," Vogel said before the game Sunday, <a class="rapid-with-clickid" data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:azcentral;elmt:;cpos:1;pos:1" data-original-link="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/11/05/phoenix-suns-devin-booker-out-detroit-pistons-injury/71415283007/" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=7ff518e7-f9fc-4776-a84e-57f90768b1b0&siteId=us-sports&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=azcentral&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hemNlbnRyYWwuY29tL3N0b3J5L3Nwb3J0cy9uYmEvc3Vucy8yMDIzLzExLzA1L3Bob2VuaXgtc3Vucy1kZXZpbi1ib29rZXItb3V0LWRldHJvaXQtcGlzdG9ucy1pbmp1cnkvNzE0MTUyODMwMDcvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1NjBjMDY3YS1mYzEyLTQxMTItYTk1Zi0zYWExMzBmNWQyOGQifQ&signature=AQAAAaYbIkGrR9L8tkHPb66Bgk5d5Qdf9zo9AX9pOilUh52Q&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2Fsuns%2F2023%2F11%2F05%2Fphoenix-suns-devin-booker-out-detroit-pistons-injury%2F71415283007%2F">via the AZ Republic's Duane Rankin</a>. "He's trying to get back as quickly as possible, but he's dealt with a toe first, then an ankle and now a calf strain."
Booker, 27, averaged 27.8 points and 5.5 assists per game last season with the Suns, his eighth in the league. He dropped 32 points and had eight assists in their season-opening win over the Golden State Warriors last month, which was his only other outing so far this season.
The Suns were also without Bradley Beal again on Sunday due to back spasms. Beal, who landed in Phoenix in a deal that brought Kevin Durant to the Suns this summer, has yet to make his debut. It’s still unclear when he will do so, but he did participate in a pregame workout on Sunday.
"He looked good and felt good," Vogel said of Beal, <a class="rapid-with-clickid" data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:azcentral;elmt:;cpos:2;pos:1" data-original-link="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2023/11/05/phoenix-suns-devin-booker-out-detroit-pistons-injury/71415283007/" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=7ff518e7-f9fc-4776-a84e-57f90768b1b0&siteId=us-sports&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=azcentral&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hemNlbnRyYWwuY29tL3N0b3J5L3Nwb3J0cy9uYmEvc3Vucy8yMDIzLzExLzA1L3Bob2VuaXgtc3Vucy1kZXZpbi1ib29rZXItb3V0LWRldHJvaXQtcGlzdG9ucy1pbmp1cnkvNzE0MTUyODMwMDcvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1NjBjMDY3YS1mYzEyLTQxMTItYTk1Zi0zYWExMzBmNWQyOGQifQ&signature=AQAAAaYbIkGrR9L8tkHPb66Bgk5d5Qdf9zo9AX9pOilUh52Q&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnba%2Fsuns%2F2023%2F11%2F05%2Fphoenix-suns-devin-booker-out-detroit-pistons-injury%2F71415283007%2F">via the AZ Republic</a>. "So he's getting closer. Still no firm timetable, but definitely getting closer."
The Suns entered Sunday having lost three straight and four of their first six games. They will wrap up their three-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, where both Booker and Beal could see the court. The Suns will return home on Friday to host the Los Angeles Lakers.
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