🚨 Chaos Strikes Phoenix: Suns Lose Key Starters in Shock Minutes Before Lakers Clash
🚨 Chaos Strikes Phoenix: Suns Lose Key Starters in Shock Minutes Before Lakers Clash
The Phoenix Suns' highly anticipated clash with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, December 1, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena was already fraught with pressure.
The stakes were immense, but minutes before the opening tip, the Suns' rotation was thrown into utter chaos as the team unexpectedly ruled out a key starter.
💔 The Initial Blow: Grayson Allen Ruled Out Due to Illness
The first and most unexpected blow came just before game time.
Allen’s absence was a shock to the system for several reasons:
Absence from Injury Report: Allen did not appear on the team's initial injury report in the lead-up to the game.
He had recently returned to action in Saturday's loss to Denver after missing several games due to a lingering quad contusion. The assumption was that his quad was managed and he was good to go. Impact on Depth: Allen has been an integral and highly efficient scorer for the Suns, known for his 46.2% three-point shooting and his ability to operate as a secondary playmaker.
His last-minute scratch immediately eliminated a critical floor-spacer and perimeter threat, forcing Coach Jordan Ott to scramble the starting lineup. The Starting Change: With Allen out, the Suns were forced to change their starting five.
Collin Gillespie was ultimately elevated into the starting lineup to fill the void, placing immense, immediate pressure on a younger player to perform in a high-stakes rivalry game.
The late announcement set an unsettling tone for the Phoenix squad, signaling that they would have to lean even more heavily on their top two healthy stars: Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker.
💥 The Mid-Game Disaster: Devin Booker Exits with Groin Injury
The initial pre-game shock quickly spiraled into a full-blown crisis during the first half.
Star guard Devin Booker, who was playing despite battling a recent scoring slump, abruptly left the game late in the first quarter after committing an offensive foul.
The Timing and Context:
Booker's Milestone: The exit was especially painful as Booker had just crossed the 17,000-point milestone in the first quarter, becoming the third-youngest player in league history to hit that mark alongside 3,600 assists, placing him in the company of LeBron James and Oscar Robertson.
A Night of Massive Significance: Booker's scoring (averaging 25.7 points and 6.9 assists) was viewed as the essential counter-punch to the Lakers' dynamic duo of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Losing him meant the Suns were operating without their two top perimeter threats, putting their ability to snap their losing streak in jeopardy. The Playmaker Void: Coach Ott had recently discussed the pressure on Booker to be the "initial domino" in the offense due to existing injuries to key playmakers Jalen Green and Isaiah Livers.
Booker’s sudden exit completely emptied the backcourt leadership.
🏆 The Ultimate Test: Brooks and Gillespie Step Up
Despite the catastrophic loss of two major starters—one pre-game and one mid-game—the Phoenix Suns performed a remarkable feat of team fortitude. Instead of collapsing, the shortened rotation rallied to deliver an eye-opening 125-108 victory, snapping the Lakers' seven-game win streak.
The unexpected absences became a stage for a stunning display of depth:
Dillon Brooks' Leadership: Dillon Brooks stepped up as the team's primary offensive engine, taking over the lead scoring role.
He scored 33 points, making eight consecutive shots in the second quarter alone, carrying the Suns' offense during their most vulnerable period. Brooks’ defensive tenacity also helped neutralize the Lakers’ formidable guards. Gillespie’s Impact: The emergency starter, Collin Gillespie, performed brilliantly in an increased role, hitting timely shots, including a clutch three-pointer in the second quarter that pushed the Suns' advantage and forced a Lakers timeout.
Team Defense: The Suns, known for their league-best turnover-forcing defense, managed to disrupt the Lakers’ rhythm, especially in the second half, despite the offensive setbacks.
The victory, achieved without Allen for the whole game and Booker for three quarters, speaks volumes about the "next man up" mentality and the resiliency of the Phoenix bench players.
🔮 Looking Ahead: A Major Test of Depth
The unexpected scratch of Grayson Allen and the mid-game groin injury to Devin Booker underscore the injury management challenges facing the Phoenix Suns as the season progresses.
With the team already missing Jalen Green (hamstring) and Isaiah Livers (hip), the immediate availability of Allen (illness) and Booker (groin) will dominate headlines. For now, however, the team can celebrate a deeply satisfying victory over a powerful rival, achieved on a night when the odds were stacked impossibly high against them.
No comments