Suns’ Devin Booker to miss remainder of season with mild ankle sprain
Apr 4, 2019, 12:20 PM | Updated: 4:39 pm
An injured Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker pauses on the floor after turning his ankle during the first half of the team's NBA basketball against the Utah Jazz Wednesday, April 3, 2019, in Phoenix. Booker left the game. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Phoenix Suns will be without their star for the remainder of the season.
Shooting guard Devin Booker, who left Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz with a left ankle sprain, will not return this year, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported and 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro confirmed.
Booker suffered a mild ankle sprain, according to Gambadoro. While he has not been officially shut down, he will not have enough time to recover, as only three games remain this season.
He joins a group of key Suns players who are out. Point guard Tyler Johnson has been shut down after undergoing knee surgery Wednesday and forward T.J. Warren has missed the last 30 to right ankle soreness. Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. had thumb surgery March 22 and will not return.
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Booker ends the season with career-high averages of 26.6 points and 6.8 assists, along with 4.1 rebounds. He shot 46.7 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from 3-point range and played in 64 total games.
Over his final five full games, Booker averaged 42.8 points, 8.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds on 54.7 percent shooting.
The Suns play their final home game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday before traveling to Texas to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday and the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Phoenix is guaranteed to have one of the three worst records in the league, which assures them of having a 14% chance to win the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.
