2 min read • December 29, 2022
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The Suns have reportedly diagnosed star shooting guard Devin Booker with a left groin strain that will sideline him for at least the next four weeks, in line with the Pro Basketball Docs' expectation of a multi-week recovery timeline.
Booker missed three games with groin soreness after a 58-point, 35-shot performance against the Pelicans on Dec. 17.
He returned on Christmas but aggravated the injury sometime in the first 4:20 and will now miss at least 16 games (over 19% of the season).
The Suns are likely to be ultra-cautious with Booker's injury and return with an eye towards a long-term playoff run for the high-usage scorer.
The 26-year-old's injury coincided with 37-year-old Chris Paul's return from a heel issue on Dec. 7 that cost him 14 games.
The all-pro starting backcourt will likely play only 13 games together through the first 50 games this season.
Since Paul came to Phoenix in 2020, Booker has missed 29 games and the Suns are 14-15 in those games and 2-5 this season, including the Christmas Day loss.
The Suns, 20-16, are 3.5 games out of first place and one game out of the No. 4 seed but have the second-best point differential in the West at plus-3.5.
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