Suns' Grayson Allen Reaggravates Ankle Injury vs. T-Wolves in Game 2 NBA Playoff Loss
April 24, 2024
Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen suffered a re-aggravation of a right ankle sprain during a 105-93 road loss in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday evening.
Head coach Frank Vogel relayed the details to reporters postgame.
Allen notably suffered a right ankle sprain during Game 1 and was listed as questionable for Game 2. Vogel told reporters that Allen wasn't a full practice participant on Monday and was receiving treatment "around the clock."
Allen was good to go, though. He started and played 17 minutes before the injury occurred with the Suns up 53-52 early in the third quarter. The ailment happened after Allen stepped on Minnesota point guard Mike Conley Jr.'s foot while leaping to defend his layup attempt. Allen needed assistance to the locker room following the play.
The 28-year-old, who just signed a four-year, $70 million contract extension with Phoenix, has enjoyed the best season of his six-year NBA career by averaging 13.5 points on 49.9 percent shooting (46.1 percent from three), 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
With Allen on the floor, the Suns outscored the Timberwolves by three points. Without him, Minnesota outscored Phoenix by 13 points.
Without Allen, the Suns cut their rotation from eight to seven men, with Royce O'Neale subbing in for the ex-Duke star post-injury. Eric Gordon notably fared well off the bench, scoring eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
But the Suns, who were in trouble before the injury after an ugly 120-95 Game 1 loss, have found themselves in murkier waters now. Minnesota is proving itself to be a higher-quality team top-to-bottom, and the Timberwolves' stars are outplaying the Suns' best.
With Phoenix already playing a smaller rotation, losing Allen could be a big loss for the Suns, whose backs are firmly against the wall after finding themselves down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. It's possible Vogel decides to add someone else to the mix, of course.
As of now, it's unclear if Allen will miss any action, but he unfortunately doesn't have a lot of time to recuperate with Game 3 taking place in Phoenix on Friday evening.