Suns Fall 121-94 to Spurs as Booker Exits with Hip Injury

The Phoenix Suns suffered a 121-94 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night in their return from the NBA All-Star break, with star guard Devin Booker exiting early due to right hip soreness in a game played at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Booker, a five-time All-Star, played just nine minutes before the injury sidelined him for the remainder of the contest. He departed for the locker room with 5:24 left in the first quarter as the Suns trailed 19-16, then briefly returned with 4:46 remaining in the second quarter. After playing only 1:11 more, he checked out again with 2:35 to go in the first half and did not return. In his limited time, Booker scored five points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field, missing both of his three-point attempts. He recorded one rebound and committed one turnover.

Suns head coach Jordan Ott addressed the injury after the game, noting Booker's determination to continue despite visible discomfort. "He tried to go back out there," Ott said. "We just saved him from himself. He wanted to go out and play. He wasn't moving great when he came back in." Ott added that the coaching staff noticed issues during an early timeout but allowed Booker to...