Suns guard Devin Booker sprains ankle after tripping over Lu Dort in Game 3
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PHOENIX — Devin Booker briefly exited the Phoenix Suns’ 121-109 Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday after twisting his left ankle when he stumbled over Lu Dort’s foot early in the third quarter.
The five-time All-Star went to the locker room but returned within minutes. Speaking afterward, Booker said he felt “fine” and expects to play Monday in Game 4, when the Suns will try to avert a series sweep.
“I don’t know if it was intentional or not — I saw he stuck his leg out a little bit,” Booker said. “He threw his hand up to say that it was a foul, and it just wasn’t granted.”
Head coach Jordan Ott echoed the concern. “For your best player to be out, in these types of games, those are massive calls or swings,” Ott said, noting that he saw Dort raise his hand as if signaling a foul.
Booker’s ankle scare is the latest flashpoint in a series already marked by friction over officiating. The 29-year-old guard was fined $35,000 after Game 2 for publicly criticizing the crew chief, although the league later rescinded a technical foul assessed to him in that contest, which Oklahoma City won 120-107.
After re-entering Saturday’s game, Booker immediately knocked down a baseline jumper and a three-pointer, trimming the deficit to 75-69. The Thunder answered with six straight points and never relinquished control. Booker finished with 16 points and seven assists, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 42 points on 15-for-18 shooting for Oklahoma City.
The incident follows a recent league statement that Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball should have been ejected for an uncalled flagrant foul on Miami’s Bam Adebayo during the play-in tournament, a reminder of the scrutiny surrounding lower-body contact plays.
Phoenix hosts Game 4 on Monday.
Source: ESPN
