Suns’ Devin Booker injures ankle, leaves game against Hawks

ATLANTA – The injury bug bit the Phoenix Suns twice on Friday night, as their star shooting guard, Devin Booker, hobbled to the locker room after an ankle injury.

Jan 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) is defended by Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson (1) and guard Dyson Daniels (5) and forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Late in the third quarter, Suns star Devin Booker rolled his ankle on Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu’s foot. Booker then limped back to the locker room as the Phoenix bench went silent, as the quiet panic doesn’t always come from the scoreboard. Sometimes it arrives when the face of a franchise limps toward the tunnel, with the entire season suddenly feeling smaller. Devin Booker’s ankle roll wasn’t just an injury scare; it was a reminder of how delicately Phoenix’s playoff hopes are balanced.

Jan 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) is defended by Atlanta forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Devin Booker injured on Friday night in Atlanta:

The Suns had only just arrived at full strength with rotations stabilized and roles clarified. For the first time in months, the math worked. Then Booker went down in a game where the Suns had already lost Jalen Green to a hamstring injury, flipping symmetry into emotional dread. Phoenix’s roster construction demands health, especially from the one player who makes everyone else make sense. Booker’s gravity bends defenses, simplifies reads, and turns talent into coherence.

Jan 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta guard Dyson Daniels (5) is defended by Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For Suns fans, the fear isn’t just this ankle, it’s the pattern. Each injury reopens the same question: can this group ever arrive whole when it matters most? Booker’s health isn’t just a medical concern; it’s the franchise’s operating system. When it glitches, everything else slows. The Suns can survive turbulence, but only if the foundation holds.

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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen