NBA Favorites Lose Leading Scorer To Injury, 2022 Championship Odds Dip

A Game 2 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans is the least of the Phoenix Suns’ worries. Suns leading scorer Devin Booker left Tuesday’s defeat with hamstring tightness, raising concerns about his availability going forward in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

With a 1-0 series lead over New Orleans, Phoenix entered Game 2 as the prohibitive championship favorites. In light of Booker’s injury and being upset by the Pelicans, the Suns’ odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals have moved in the wrong direction.

The Suns’ championship odds dropped from +270 to +300 at FanDuel Sportsbook after Game 2. While the change might seem small, the gap between Phoenix and the NBA’s second favorite has shrunk.

The Golden State Warriors aren’t far behind the Suns with +350 odds to win the title. Just a few hours before the Pelicans upset the Suns 125-114, the Warriors had +500 championship odds.

Booker was spectacular before getting hurt in the third quarter of Game 2, scoring 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting. The Pelicans outscored the Suns 48-40 after Booker went to the locker room. Brandon Ingram propelled New Orleans with 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

There isn’t much information about the extent of Booker’s injury. The shooting guard is expected to undergo testing Wednesday, two days before the first-round series shifts to New Orleans for Game 3.

"We'll have more information tomorrow," Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters. "We've played without Chris [Paul] and Book before. If we have to play without Book, next man up. We've done that all year long."

The Suns went 8-6 in games that Booker missed during the regular season. With the All-Star in the lineup, Phoenix had a 56-12 record.

Hamstring injuries have been an issue for Booker since last year. Very early in the season, a hamstring injury kept Booker off the court for 18 straight days. A similar timeline would force him to miss the rest of the first round and potentially some of the second round, assuming Phoenix advances.

Even without Booker, the Suns would be heavy favorites to eliminate the Pelicans. New Orleans finished 28 games behind Phoenix in the standings.

Phoenix withstood multiple key injuries to earn the No. 1 seed in the regular season. The Suns remained one of the league’s best teams without Chris Paul for 17 games. Paul was the star of Phoenix’s 110-99 Game 1 victory, scoring 30 points and dishing out 10 assists.

If Paul is Phoenix’s most important player, Booker isn’t far behind. With 26.8 points per game, Booker averages nearly 10 points more than the team’s second-highest scorer. Booker makes 38.3% of his three-pointers.

The Suns are the third Western Conference team dealing with an injury to their leading scorer. Luka Doncic hasn’t played this postseason for the Dallas Mavericks because of a calf strain. Stephen Curry has come off the bench for the Warriors in the playoffs, returning from a month-long absence due to a foot injury.

Curry and the Warriors have a 2-0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets and have looked like serious challengers to the Suns on their journey back to the NBA Finals.