Devin Booker has been the Ironman of the Phoenix Suns’ three stars, but that will change on Saturday night.
Booker will sit out for the first time this season due to left groin tightness when the Suns host the Detroit Pistons.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have each missed 10 games already this season, while Booker has been available for each of Phoenix’s first 26 games. However, he was injured just past the midway point of the third quarter in a 120-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night and was formally declared out on Friday after missing practice.
Phoenix has not yet provided a timetable for how long Booker might be sidelined.
Beal expressed disappointment over Booker’s injury.
Booker is averaging 25.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Only Durant (26.4) has a higher scoring average on the Suns. Beal is third on the team at 17.7 points per game.
The inability to have everyone healthy has been an issue for the Suns, as they are just 1-9 when Durant is unavailable.
Tyus Jones ranks fourth on the team with a 12.5 scoring average and leads Phoenix in assists at 6.9. He emphasized that the team needs to step up its play when one of the stars is sidelined.
The loss to Indiana prevented the Suns from winning more than two straight games. They have achieved that just once, when they rolled off seven in a row during an 8-1 start.
Phoenix is looking for its eighth straight victory over Detroit, following the Pistons winning the previous eight in a row in the series.
Detroit has dropped five of its past seven overall games as it begins a four-game road trip.
The Pistons will be seeking a rebound from Thursday’s 126-119 home loss to the Utah Jazz. That seven-point margin is deceiving, as Detroit trailed 48-19 after the first quarter.
Cade Cunningham scored 33 points for his third 30-point outing of the season. He has scored 20 or more points in 14 of the past 16 games. Cunningham also had seven assists and matched his season best of four blocked shots.
Overall, Cunningham was stunned at how quickly the Pistons fell behind in the opening quarter.
Shooting guard Jaden Ivey, whose 17.3 scoring average is second behind Cunningham (23.9), is probable after missing the previous two games due to left knee soreness. Big man Isaiah Stewart will miss his second consecutive game due to a hyperextended left knee.
