A pair of star players were injured during separate games on Monday, with Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray exiting an eventual loss to Dallas with a right ankle sprain, while Suns shooting guard Devin Booker sustained a right groin injury in the road contest at the Lakers (Twitter links via the Nuggets and Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
Murray, who is a candidate to make his first All-Star appearance this season, was deemed questionable to return Monday but didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were up two points entering the final frame and wound up losing by 10 without their second-leading scorer.
It’s unclear if Murray will miss additional time with his ankle injury. Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. will likely receive more minutes if the Canadian guard is ruled out of future games.
Denver is fairly banged up right now, with starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun out multiple weeks due to their own injuries and third-year wing Julian Strawther continuing to miss time with a back issue.
As for Booker, he was ruled out at halftime of the game in Los Angeles. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), all the Suns know so far is the four-time All-Star experienced soreness in his groin.
Phoenix’s all-time leading scorer has yet to miss a game in 2025/26 after making 75 appearances last season. Through 21 games, the 29-year-old is averaging team highs of 25.7 points and 6.9 assists while also contributing 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal per night.
Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Jamaree Bouyea are among the Suns who could take on additional play-making duties with Booker out at least the remainder of Monday’s game.
The Suns are also shorthanded, as Jalen Green continues to be sidelined with a hamstring strain he has aggravated multiple times. Second-year forward Ryan Dunn did return to action on Monday after missing the past five games with a sprained right wrist, though Grayson Allen was ruled out with an illness.
Suns beat the Lakers by 17 …….
Without Booker and Green. I guess it happens.
Suns are not even using Maluach. Has only played 10 gms with 4.4 mins. A team like the Pistons would be wise to look into this. Maluach is young. He can give you rim protection and rebounding. For 16 mins a game. That’s a valuable thing to have.
Didn’t most experts say he would take some time to get adjusted to NBA level style of play? Thats one of the big weaknesses on him I read last year all the way to the draft. It’s not like Phoenix has a long term solution at C. They bring him along at their own pace. I’m more surprised on how hard they compete and have been winning games this year. It’s an added bonus for them. Coach Ott will be running for COY if this continues to happen.
Yes that’s true. But for a big you can keep it simple. Just protect the middle. And grab every rebound you can. He knows how to do that. His size alone will disrupt the other team. He’s a good asset for Suns. With Wiiliams there. They might listen to offers.
So exactly what are the pistons giving up in this deal to get the No 10 overall pick the suns had to trade KD to get.
They have plenty they can give up. And plenty Suns would want. Just cause a team drafts a player. Doesn’t mean they will invest in him or use him right. Just look at Kuminga and Wiseman. I’d say a player who only plays 4 mins a game. Is someone they would listen to offers for. Not That difficult
Okay so like I said exactly what are the pistons offering lol. Just saying they have plenty to offer doesn’t answer the question in the slightest.
Al, Williams has a $8.7M Q/O next year, and Nick Richards has an expiring $5M deal this year. I’m pretty sure they’ll let both walk and let Maluach be the guy next year. Also, for Pistons to get Maluach, they would have to give up either Duren or Stewart, otherwise it’s a crowded fit along with Paul Reed.
Reed and Stewart are 4s. Even Duren has shown he can play the 4. The players Suns would want are Holland, Ivey, Stewart, Sasser or picks. Imo Pistons need a backup center to be taken serious. I say Maluach cause he isn’t playing. And Suns are more about now than the future. Maluach can fit with Pistons cause of his youth and future. Also cause he can play minimal mins now.
Stewart is 6’ 7” and Reed is 6’ 9” at best.
Suns centers are young also. So there is no guarantee there for Maluach. Frankly I was surprised they drafted him. Stewart and Sasser can help them now. I’ll even throw in a future pick.
Like I said the Pistons lack a backup center. Better to have one that can grow with you. I would even look into Richards. The point is looking to upgrade.
I agree with you on the Pistons needing a backup center along with the Reed/Stewart 4’s part. I think they will prioritize shooting more in the next few months. What about Brook Lopez for backup center? Clippers are going nowhere this year and would probably have him on the block this upcoming trade deadline. Maybe Vasser and attach a RD2 pick for Brook Lopez?
@KnickAl
The fact that the game was in LA, the Lakers were favored by 5.5 pts and the Suns only shot 8 ftas and the Lakers 15 with one of the most whistle-happy crews in the league (in the last OKC-Wolves game with Tiven as crew chief there were 75 ftas combined) is worthy of an investigation for gambling.
Smh…
Lakers can only win with free throws. I said it on multiple posts LeBron makes the team worse and he is not needed. He is cooked and needs to retire. He was stat padding for a 10 points streak. AR and Luka are not great defenders. So adding LeBron on the starting line up they either have to shoot 70 percent to make up or get 5254 free throws for the advantage!
Maluach is a 19 year old project big. The Suns traded up to draft him due to his future potential. They’re bringing him along slowly with time in the G league. There’s no reason that they would make him available in a trade as a rookie on a cheap rookie-scale contract.
The Pistons have to go thru. Cavs, Knicks, Magic all with multiple real bigs. Pistons are not coming out of East unless they get another center. God forbid Duren goes down for awhile. You see Magic lost Wagner. And didn’t miss a step.
Pistons want to be taken serious about challenging for East. Then they better get another center….
Al
Detroit is 1 on two moves away. They don’t need a rookie center. They can find a serviceable big during trade season. This is not there year. I do see them in the 2nd round or maybe conference finals with the right matchup. I think Orlando will come out the east. Unless the Knicks get a backup point guard and another wing off the bench. The match up problem with Orlando
They’ve looked like they have as good of a chance as any team to come out of the East (they’re 3 games ahead of the Knicks, 4 ahead of the magic, and 4.5 ahead of the Cavs), and Maluach wouldn’t help improve that.
They can offer Ivey in a trade later if they decide they need a center.