Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has suffered a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Thursday.
Players with such an injury historically require approximately 14 to 21 days to recover, which would put Booker’s return during this first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans in question.
Pelicans coach Willie Green, who was on the Suns’ staff last season when Booker played through a hamstring injury in the NBA Finals, has already warned his players to expect him back sooner, sources said.
Sources told ESPN on Wednesday that Booker would likely miss Games 3 and 4 against the Pelicans and that the Suns were still evaluating his MRI results to get a full picture of the injury and a clearer timeline for a return.
Booker scored 31 points in the first half of a 125-114 loss to the Pelicans in Game 2, but he didn’t score in the third quarter. With 4:45 left in the period, he immediately asked for a timeout and went to the locker room after appearing to tweak his right hamstring as he was jumping to challenge a Jaxson Hayes dunk in transition.
The first-round series is 1-1 entering Game 3 on Friday in New Orleans.
Booker has had hamstring issues for the past two seasons. In November, he strained his left hamstring on a play similar to the one on Tuesday and missed seven games. Last year during the NBA Finals, he suffered a hamstring injury in Game 3 but played through it and kept it a secret at the time. During the 2020-21 regular season, he also had a left hamstring injury and missed four games.
The Suns were 8-6 in games without Booker this season.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.