How will Devin Booker's potential absence affect Suns?
Devin Booker's stat line from the first half of the Phoenix Suns' Game 2 contest against the New Orleans Pelicans looked like an entire game's worth of production.
Like the logo that adorns his jersey, D-Book was on fire throughout the game's first 24 minutes. He scored 16 points in the first quarter, including a tough fall-away buzzer-beater at the end of the period, a moment made that much sweeter by the once-in-a-lifetime fist bump he gave a young fan.
By halftime, Book had nearly doubled his points output, completing a spectacular first-half showing with 31 points on 12-for-18 shooting, including 7-for-11 from 3. The Suns took a 61-56 lead into the break, an edge that was capped off by another riveting last-second shot from Book — this time from the logo.
But those numbers would remain the same as Game 2 went final, as Booker missed most of the second half with a hamstring injury. According to TNT's Allie Laforce, Booker was held out with right hamstring "tightness," which she clarified was not a reoccurrence of the left hamstring ailment that he has dealt with this season, and which caused him to miss seven games in December.
Phoenix relinquished its series lead with a 125-114 loss, and Booker's absence in the second half was likely the difference. Even worse, it was reported on Wednesday that he's unlikely to play in Games 3 and 4 in New Orleans.
For Shannon Sharpe, this is very bad news for the Suns.
"You're not winning without Book," Sharpe stated Wednesday on "Undisputed."
"Monty Williams is saying ‘we’ve played all year with injuries' but there's a difference between regular-season and postseason basketball. Nobody's trying to go into the postseason without their best player. You're not winning. There's a reason why he's the All-Star caliber player he is. These guys don't grow on trees. He's the only guy other than [Chris Paul] that can go and get his own shot. Other than that, somebody has to facilitate for Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton. He also can defend on CJ [McCollum] and Ingram. Devin Booker is that dude. He gets better and better and better."
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Shannon Sharpe reacts to Devin Booker's injury and the Suns' loss to the Pelicans.
Chris Broussard, on the other hand, believes the Suns still have a chance. According to the "First Things First" host, though, they need to get their act together quickly.
"They should be able to get past the Pelicans," he said.
"But they're not winning the West without him. They were 8-6 overall without Booker this season, and they didn't really beat any good teams. They beat the Magic once, maybe twice, so while they can outlast New Orleans, they're not going far in the Western Conference playoffs without him. I think they will air on the side of caution, and make sure they get him right as possible before they bring him back."
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If Devin Booker's injury keeps him sidelined, Chris Broussard and Nick Wright explore the Suns' chances to make it out of this series with Chris Paul at the wheel.
Things change considerably for the Suns without their scoring savant.
They're 104-31 (.770) when Booker has played during the last two seasons, and 11-8 (.579) without him. With Book, the team averages 115.8 points per game and 27.2 assists per game. It also owns the best offensive rating (117.1) in the NBA over the past two years, with a +7.44 points differential in games he's played.
When he doesn't suit up, the Suns cool off significantly, posting 109.6 PPG and 26.7 APG, with an offensive rating that ranks 25th-best league-wide (109.4), and just a +1.58 points differential.
With a healthy Booker in their lineup, Phoenix can confidently book its travel arrangements to the second round with little hesitation. Without him, well …