The Phoenix Suns will be without two of their biggest stars, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, when they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Booker is dealing with significant left foot soreness, while Beal is out with lower back tightness.
Booker suffered the foot injury late in the Suns’ season-opening victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. He still managed to play nearly 37 minutes and finish with 32 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and one steal, but it was clear that he was not at full strength.
Beal, meanwhile, has yet to make his Suns debut due to his back injury. He missed the entire preseason and has been sidelined for the first two games of the regular season.
The absence of Booker and Beal is a major blow to the Suns, who are already without starting point guard Chris Paul (thumb). Paul is expected to miss at least the next two weeks, so the Suns will need to find a way to win without their top three players.
Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson will step up into bigger roles in the absence of Booker and Beal. The Suns will also need contributions from their bench players, such as Landry Shamet, Torrey Craig, and Damion Lee.
The Lakers are also dealing with some injuries, as Anthony Davis (back) and LeBron James (ankle) are both listed as questionable for Thursday’s game. However, the Lakers are still the deeper team, so they will be favored to win even without Booker and Beal.
The Suns will need to play a near-perfect game to beat the Lakers without their two best players. They will need to get solid production from their entire roster and they will need to play mistake-free basketball.
Impact of Booker and Beal’s Injuries
The absence of Booker and Beal will have a significant impact on the Suns’ offense. Booker is the Suns’ leading scorer and Beal is one of the best scorers in the NBA. Without these two players, the Suns will have to find other ways to put the ball in the basket.
Ayton and Bridges will need to step up and be more aggressive on offense. Johnson will also need to contribute more scoring. The Suns will also need to get more production from their bench players.
On defense, the Suns will miss Beal’s ability to defend multiple positions. Booker is also a good defender, but he is not as versatile as Beal. The Suns will need to rely on their other defenders to pick up the slack.
Overall Outlook
The Suns are still a good team without Booker and Beal, but they are not as good as they could be. The Lakers are the deeper team and they are healthier, so they will be favored to win on Thursday night.
However, the Suns are a well-coached team and they have a lot of experience. If they play their best game, they could still beat the Lakers.tunesharemore_vert
