April 21 update: According to Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski, Booker is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the hamstring strain. That likely keeps him out of the first round of the playoffs and potentially the opening few games of the second round if the Suns advance.
April 20 update: The Suns are likely to be without Devin Booker for at least two games, although the team has ruled him out indefinitely with a hamstring injury he suffered Tuesday in Game 2. The series is tied 1-1, so the Suns need to get homecourt advantage back by taking at least one game in NOLA.
April 17 update: Shamet will play in Game 1, giving the Suns a mostly intact group as they attempt to get back to the Finals. Only Dario Saric remains out with a torn ACL.
April 16 update: The Suns have listed Landry Shamet as questionable with a foot injury. While his status might not sway the earlier rounds for Phoenix, this team will need him for the bigger series.
The Phoenix Suns followed up its trip to the NBA Finals a year ago by posting an NBA-best 64-18 record this season and claiming the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The team will begin its postseason journey when hosting Game 1 of its first-round series on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET
Let’s take a look at the Suns’ injury report and how it may impact the series.
Suns injury report
Phoenix is entering the postseason in a good place from a health standpoint as most of their key, impact players are healthy and ready to go for the first round. One key contributor to monitor is veteran forward Jae Crowder, who has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury for the past few weeks and is listed as day-to-day. He missed three of the last five games of the regular season and as of this writing, there has been no word on his official status for Game 1.
Point guard Cameron Payne is listed as day-to-day with a knee issue, but he did go through practice and should be ready for the playoffs. Aaron Holiday would see more minutes if Payne gets ruled out.
Center Dario Saric is still rehabbing the ACL tear he suffered during the NBA Finals last year. While he’s unlikely to return for this postseason, he indicated this week that he could be possibly available in an emergency situation if there’s multiple injuries to Suns big men and he’s feeling healthy enough to play. If the Suns make another deep run, we’ll see if he’ll be good to get some action this postseason.