Suns sitting Devin Booker for preseason game vs. Pistons due to ankle soreness

Suns star Devin Booker was ruled out for Phoenix’s third preseason game on Friday against the Detroit Pistons due to right ankle soreness, the team said.

After a 109-91 loss, Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters the injury was not worth playing through during the preseason, but he expects Booker to be fine.

Rookie Ryan Dunn entered the starting lineup in Booker’s place at Footprint Center, filling in alongside regulars Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Tyus Jones.

Dunn for Booker was the lone change, as the remainder of Phoenix’s starting five matched its first two preseason games. Veteran offseason addition Mason Plumlee has been starting at center with Jusuf Nurkic dealing with a finger injury.

Booker played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s preseason game against the Pistons in East Lansing and 14 minutes in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Booker scored 10 points on 13 shot attempts in Michigan.

Dunn, the No. 28 overall pick, stood out in Tuesday’s win with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. He hit three of five triples, a welcome sign for the stout defender.

Dunn on Friday scored five points with four rebounds while shooting 1-for-5 from deep.

The Suns have two more preseason games after Friday, with an away game Sunday at the Denver Nuggets and a final tune-up at home on Thursday against the Lakers. The regular season begins on Oct. 23 when the Suns face the Los Angeles Clippers at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

“We’re going to just probably progressively work those guys up a little bit, try and get them ready for the start of the regular season,” Budenholzer told reporters before the lineups revealed Booker’s ailment. “I think there’ll be something similar tonight.”

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