{"id":626722,"date":"2026-02-26T20:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T20:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/626722\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T20:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T20:31:17","slug":"devin-bookers-injury-status-heading-into-phoenix-suns-matchup-vs-lakers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/626722\/","title":{"rendered":"Devin Booker\u2019s injury status heading into Phoenix Suns\u2019 matchup vs Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2013 When the Phoenix Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, the headline isn\u2019t just the matchup; it\u2019s the absence of Suns\u2019 stars, including Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks.<\/p>\n

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Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Devin Booker is out for the Suns\u2019 matchup against the Lakers:<\/p>\n

Devin Booker will miss his third straight game with a right hip strain, and the offensive fallout has been frightening. Phoenix only scored 77 and 81 points in back-to-back losses to Portland and Boston, a massive statistical red flag. Remove a scoring engine like Booker, and suddenly every possession feels uphill.<\/p>\n

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Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Strategically, this shifts everything. Booker commands double teams, bends coverages, and creates weak-side threes. Without him, and with Dillon Brooks sidelined 4\u20136 weeks due to a broken hand, the Suns lose both shot creation and edge. The rivalry between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James adds emotional voltage to this matchup, and its absence drains some of the psychological warfare Phoenix typically leans on. The Lakers have gotten fully healthy for the most part, and the Suns will have their hands full being shorthanded and taking on a Los Angeles team that is fired up after a one-point loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

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Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles forward LeBron James (23) against Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks (3) at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Now the burden falls to Jalen Green to generate downhill pressure, while Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen must manufacture spacing. That requires pace, early threes, and paint touches before the Lakers\u2019 defense gets set. The Suns will also have to deal with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 being healthy and motivated. His competitive history with Booker adds intrigue, but without Phoenix\u2019s star, that chapter also pauses. For Suns fans, tonight is about resilience. Nationally, it\u2019s a litmus test of how Phoenix can make adjustments and function within the system. Playoff contenders reveal themselves when the margin tightens. Short-handed or not, identity must travel.<\/p>\n

Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX \u2013 When the Phoenix Suns face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, the headline isn\u2019t just the matchup;…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[15482,17992,7,45,160,4216,1586,2292,1195,7781,861,185,251,150,368,4164,56639,6,76,2065,472,4045,687,604,6445,3209],"class_list":["post-626722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-phoenix-suns","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-basketball","tag-boston","tag-california","tag-collin-gillespie","tag-deandre-ayton","tag-devin-booker","tag-dillon-brooks","tag-grayson-allen","tag-jalen-green","tag-lebron-james","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-luka-doncic","tag-mandatory-credit","tag-mortgage-matchup-center","tag-nba","tag-orlando-magic","tag-phoenix","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-phoenixsuns","tag-portland","tag-suns","tag-the-suns","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116138836653570848","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}