Suns' Devin Booker enters NBA's health and safety protocols as first-place Phoenix now without top two stars

Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has reportedly entered the NBA's health and safety protocols, the team said Wednesday. Booker is expected to miss their game Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

This is a tough blow for the top-seeded Suns in the West as they are currently without All-Star guard Chris Paul for the foreseeable future -- possibly until the playoffs -- as he recovers from a thumb fracture. In Paul's absence, the Suns have gone 1-2, as Booker has had to shoulder most of the offensive responsibility. Being without Booker for the time being will only make things even more difficult for Phoenix as it tries to hold onto that No. 1 spot in the West.

The Suns have a 6.5 game lead over the Golden State Warriors, who are currently in second place, and while the Warriors have been struggling since returning from the All-Star break, the team that Phoenix may need to worry more about is the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are just a half game behind the Warriors in third place, and with the recent scoring streak Ja Morant has been on that has included a recent career-high of 52 points, Memphis doesn't look to be slowing down.

Standings aside, though, the Suns will now have to figure out how to tread water without both Booker and Paul. That means more opportunity for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges to step up on offense, and guard Cam Payne will be forced to test his limits after recently returning from a wrist injury. Phoenix is one of the deepest teams in the league, and has been the most consistent squad this entire season. But these new bumps in the road will test the Suns in their ability to adapt while still maintaining that same level of dominance they've displayed all season long.

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Klay Thompson to sit out Warriors preseason games in Japan as Kerr says he needs more time to ramp-up

Klay Thompson may have returned healthy to the Golden State Warriors last season, but the scars from his two missed seasons are still quite visible. The Warriors played their first of two preseason games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and will play another on Sunday, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson will not be playing at all during the trip to Japan. "Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up," Kerr said before Friday's victory over Washington. "He's just not quite ready to play at this point just based on where, you know, we're so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games." Typically, so little time to ramp up wouldn't be a problem for a veteran in a preseason context. The games tend to be so low-impact and demand so few minutes out of a team's best players that they can safely jog through them. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played 1...

Shaquille O'Neal says Dennis Rodman was his worst teammate: 'He was a great player, but he made it hard'

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Kevin Durant injury update: Nets rule star out for home-and-home vs. Raptors, hopeful for return later in week

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however. "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get...

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