The injuries are adding up for the Suns.
Phoenix, which has been without Chris Paul for the last three games of its Western Conference Semifinal series against Denver, saw Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker suffer injuries in a Game 5 loss.
Ayton is dealing with a rib issue, and Booker seems to be experiencing pain in his foot. The Booker injury is particularly concerning for the Suns, as he has been arguably the league's top performer in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Here are the latest updates on Booker's status ahead of an elimination game against the Nuggets.
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At the end of the first quarter of Game 5, Booker appeared to tweak his foot while attempting to finish at the basket in transition. He was able to make both free throw attempts, and he ended up scoring a team-high 28 points in 41 minutes.
After the Nuggets' 118-102 win, Suns coach Monty Williams described the injury as a "sore foot" and told reporters that "we wouldn't put him back out there if we didn't think he was OK."
Booker brushed off a question about his foot, saying it's a "little bruise."
"Everybody's dealing with something, man," Booker said. "It's that point of the season."
As of Wednesday, Booker is not listed on Phoenix's official injury report, so he is expected to play in Game 6.
Through 10 playoff games, Booker is averaging 35.9 points, 7.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals with 60.1/51.7/87.3 shooting splits.
Here is the complete schedule for the second-round series between Phoenix and Denver:
*If necessary
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