PHOENIX — Bradley Beal’s jump shot had been on target for most of the night, but this attempt midway in the fourth quarter rimmed out. The Indiana Pacers rebounded and pushed. One pass led to another and the result was an easy layup.
Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer signaled timeout, walking onto the court at Footprint Center, scratching his head. Kevin Durant looked at the floor as he walked to the Phoenix bench. Beal did the same.
The Suns were a step slow and much too sloppy Thursday night. Part of that stems from Indiana. The Pacers are long, fast and active. It’s a bad matchup for the Suns, who fell 120-111 to drop to 14-12.
“Sometimes their active hands, their activity, created deflections, created steals,” Budenholzer said, referring to Phoenix’s 16 turnovers, mistakes that led to 29 Indiana points. “Our decisions, our crispness wasn’t there.”
It wasn’t the home team’s worst news.
Devin Booker left in the third quarter with left groin tightness and did not return. Budenholzer said after the game that Booker told him he wasn’t sure when he hurt it. The first-year Suns coach guessed sometime in the early minutes after halftime. He didn’t know if Booker would miss additional time.
This has been the story of Phoenix’s season. And the organization’s biggest fear. Built upon the high-powered trio of Durant, Booker and Beal, the Suns can’t stay healthy. Call it misfortune. The curse of aging. Whatever you want. The Suns cannot shake it.
“That’s what sucks,” said Durant, who scored 37 points on 27 shots in Booker’s absence. “We hate that. Injuries can get in the web of beautiful basketball, the game of basketball. It’s part of it, but it’s tough to take.”
When healthy, the Suns are a contender. But they have not been healthy enough. And at this point — more than a quarter of the season in — it’s reasonable to wonder if this is no longer a fluke and just who they are.
Beal returned Thursday night after missing two games with right knee swelling. He hit his first shot, a 3 from the left wing. He caught a nifty wrap-around pass from Durant and drilled another 3. He finished with 16 points.
THAT PASS BY KD THO 👀
Splashed home by Brad! pic.twitter.com/6DWXnayu2u
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 20, 2024
But the reunion lasted just two-plus quarters, when Booker left the bench for the locker room and didn’t return. In the first quarter, the Suns guard penetrated the lane, drawing a foul from Indiana’s Ben Sheppard. Booker appeared to grimace after the whistle and reach for his groin, but it’s unknown if that was the play he was hurt. Booker finished with 17 points and six assists.
Every team has injuries. Good teams overcome them. Find different ways to win. The Suns have yet to figure that part out, which is what makes every sprained ankle and strained calf such sky-is-falling moments for this team.
The most popular statistic in town is Phoenix’s 1-9 record when Durant is out. After practice this week, Durant told reporters it’s difficult to look at the flip side — that the Suns actually are a good team when healthy — because “everybody’s throwing (the Durant-less record) in our face every chance they get.”
Durant said the stat needs context. In many games that he missed, the Suns were down other rotational players. “We need everybody on the floor if we want to be a good team,” Durant said. “… It’s easier said than done, though.”
Booker’s exit overshadowed Beal’s return. Before the season, Budenholzer had talked to Beal about his role, focusing on defense first, which included defending the opponent’s top perimeter player. Offensively, he needed Beal to answer the same questions as everyone else. Can we play fast with you? Can we play random with you? Can we find you in first, second or third actions? Budenholzer said that Beal has thrived in his role so far. But like Durant, the veteran guard has missed 10 games with various issues.
“There’s been a real level of frustration I think from him,” Budenholzer said. “It feels like just some bad luck with a little bit of this stuff. But I think for him to flip, whether it’s frustration or bad luck, and then go into the weight room and put his time in, put his time in with the training staff, be there with his teammates. His energy I think has been good, it’s been helpful. And his head and mind and heart have been in a good place.
“It’s not easy when you can’t play. He’s handled it well.”
That speaks well of Beal, but it’s not the compliment fans want to hear for such an important player. Same for Durant and everybody else.
“It is hard,” big man Jusuf Nurkić said. “Sometimes you just don’t know what it is or what the rotation will be, but that is part of the NBA life. Have to figure it out. We have a good team.”
Perhaps the Suns will get good news Friday. Maybe Booker’s injury won’t be serious. Maybe he’ll miss just a few games. And maybe sometime soon, Phoenix will get to string together 10, 15, 20 games with everyone healthy. Its fans can only hope.
(Photo of Devin Booker: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
