Dillon Brooks explains what the Suns’ personality is like this season
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks breaks down what the team’s personality is this season.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has participated in two straight practices after being sidelined with a right groin strain.Coach Jordan Ott remains hopeful but cautious about Booker’s return, saying they will see how he responds before the game.
Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker participated in a second straight practice Saturday, Dec. 13, heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“Responding well,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said after Saturday’s practice about Booker, who has been sidelined with a right groin strain. “That’s encouraging. No issues. Practiced today. We’ll just see exactly how it responds. Every day it’s a little bit more, but it seemed to be pretty good.”
Booker showed even better movement during media viewing after Saturday’s practice and has made major progress from how he looked after Wednesday’s morning shootaround at Oklahoma City.
The Suns won’t have a shootaround Sunday due to the 6 p.m. start.
“Still you go through the night, see how he responds,” Ott said. “There’s always that check-in whether we have shootaround or not with all of our guys. We’ll continue to see how he progresses, but he looked pretty good when he was out there. That part was really good.”
Booker missed Phoenix’s past three games with a right groin strain he suffered in the first quarter of a 125-108 victory Dec. 1 over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
“Looks good, getting back to it day-by-day,” Suns forward Ryan Dunn said about Booker after Saturday’s practice. “He’s been helping off the floor a lot with us so that’s been good, but he’s taking his time, getting ready for whenever he gets back.”
The Suns (14-11) are 1-2 without Booker, the team’s leading scorer at 25 points a game.
“Responding well. That’s encouraging. No issues. Practiced today. Just see exactly how it responds.”
Suns coach Jordan Ott on Devin Booker (right groin strain) heading into Sunday’s game vs Lakers.
Has missed last three games with injury.
“If Book is able to play, that… pic.twitter.com/CqcYxgYtS8
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 13, 2025
“If Book is able to play, that changes some of the dynamics of it all,” Ott later said about facing the Lakers. “That’s a good thing to add to our group. Gives us confidence anytime we see him out there with our group.”
Phoenix is 3-5 in its past eight games.
The Lakers (17-7) are 2-3 in their past five games after their seven-game winning streak was snapped by the Suns.
This matchup was added so that both teams, which lost in the NBA Cup quarterfinals Dec. 10, would have an 82-game schedule.
The Lakers are fourth in the West while the Suns are seventh.
Defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder pummeled Phoenix, 138-89, in handing the Suns their largest margin of defeat ever in the history of the franchise.
“Definitely don’t like how that game went, especially for this team, the whole Valley Nation, but we can’t dwell on it,” Suns guard Jordan Goodwin said after Friday’s practice. “We still got the Lakers here in a couple of days. So we’re trying to get that one.”
The Suns will have had three days between the Thunder game and Sunday’s matchup against the Lakers.
Suns’ Dillon Brooks takes accountability for ‘soft’ play at Thunder
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks sounds off on his “soft” play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 10, 2025.
“I needed this,” Dunn said. “We were on the road a little while. We had some great games, played in some good environments. The whole month of December, we were basically on the road basically the whole month.”
Then again, losing to Oklahoma City by an insane 49 points has the Suns itching to play again.
“Normally you do, but when you get your ass kicked, you don’t,” Suns guard Collin Gillespie when asked about getting some rest. “You want to get back out there.”
The San Antonio Spurs took down the Lakers, 132-119, in Los Angeles to reach the NBA Cup semifinals Dec. 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas to take on the No. 1 seeded Thunder.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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