The Phoenix Suns were hoping to finally integrate their big off-season acquisition, Jalen Green, into a dynamic backcourt with Devin Booker, but unfortunately, the plan quickly unraveled. Against the Atlanta Hawks, Booker exited the game early, joining another injured teammate in the locker room.

Why did Devin Booker leave the game? What injury did he suffer?

As the third quarter was ending, with about 5.4 seconds left to go, Booker, playing off-ball, appeared to run into Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu and fell down, writhing in pain. He immediately grabbed his right ankle and was slowly helped to his feet by teammates and assistants.

Booker was escorted to the locker room shortly after, barely able to walk. So far, there’s no official word from the Suns on his status, but with guard Jalen Green already leaving for the locker room tonight with his own injury, this is an absolutely brutal blow to a team that was finally getting healthy.

How did Devin Booker perform before leaving?

Booker had an amazing night before his injury. He scored 31 points, 16 of which came in the third, along with three assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes. This marked his 13th night scoring 30 or more points this season.

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With Kevin Durant traded in the offseason, Booker has stepped back into his role as the team’s go-to scorer after playing second fiddle for the last few years. The guard has averaged a team-best 25.3 points per game, along with 6.3 assists, but with surprisingly low three-point efficiency at 30.2%.

How did the Phoenix Suns adjust without Booker?

When the third quarter ended, the Suns led 91-84, and despite Booker leaving, the hope was that his teammates could close out the game against the Hawks.

The Suns turned to reserve guard Grayson Allen, who had already been carrying an increased load after Jalen Green‘s exit, as well as Jordan Goodwin. The two performed well, logging a combined 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.

The Suns haven’t won in State Farm Arena since 2014, and that trend continued tonight, behind the three-headed scoring effort from Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and CJ McCollum, the last of whom extended his double-digit scoring streak to an impressive 34 games.

Booker’s next chance to play will be on Sunday, when the team hosts the Miami Heat.

“Pretty unlucky,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said of the injury. “We’ll just have to take a look when we get back to Phoenix.”

An update on his condition should be released soon.

Booker previously missed three games in December with a groin strain but has been relatively healthy this season, and the team has to hope this trend continues as they look to make a playoff push later in the season.