The Phoenix Suns have taken their second crushing blow of the week.
Star forward Dillon Brooks sustained a broken left hand during Saturday’s double-overtime win over the Orlando Magic — just days after superstar guard Devin Booker went down with a right hip strain.
Brooks is expected to be sidelined for an “extended period of time,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and doctors will meet Sunday to determine his exact recovery timeline.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Phoenix announced that Booker would miss at least one week to nurse a hip injury that he suffered on Thursday night against the Spurs.
The Suns — who sit seventh in the West with a surprising 33–24 record under first-year head coach Jordan Ott — will now have to hold strong in a heated play-in race without two of their top stars for the foreseeable future.
While Ott acknowledged there being an emotional “lull” after such a drastic setback, he emphasized that it’s no excuse to roll over — and that Phoenix still has the necessary tools to stand its ground.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves,” Ott told reporters after the game. “No one’s going to feel sorry for us.
“[Our opponents] surely aren’t going to. They’re trying to go out and win a game just like we are. No one cares… The only group that can help us when we’re stranded is our group.”
Brooks, 30, has had a breakout year after arriving in Phoenix by way of the Kevin Durant trade — averaging a career-high 20.9 points, along with 3.7 rebounds per game.
Phoenix is just 3-4 without the scrappy forward this season.
Booker, meanwhile, leads the Suns with 24.7 points and 6.1 assists a night in his age-29 campaign.
Phoenix continues its homestand Sunday night against the Trail Blazers before welcoming the Celtics and Lakers later this week.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
