Grayson Allen Injury: Suns’ Lethal Shooter Limps To Locker Room Amid Efforts To Get Even With Wolves

The Phoenix Suns lost their lethal shooter amid an intense battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, the Valley side’s catch-and-shoot sensation exited the floor early in the third quarter. The 28-year-old rolled his ankle in an attempt to block Wolves’ Mike Conley’s lay-up. Grayson Allen seemed to be in immense pain and he was immediately escorted off the court to the locker room.

The sharpshooter stepped on Conley’s foot during the block attempt and immediately held on to his right ankle. The Suns have a one-point lead with around 9 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Importantly, Allen seemed to have aggravated a sprained ankle. During Game 1, the star left the floor with discomfort in his ankle after 25 minutes. The X-ray report came out clean, and the team concluded that he had a sprained ankle. Notably, they listed Allen in the Questionable category ahead of tonight’s game, but ultimately he made it to the line-up.

In the previous game, he had a poor shooting night with a 0-3 FG and dropped 4 points only through free throws. Tonight, he dropped 3 points with a 1-2 FG before walking to the locker room.

The latest official update revealed that the star won’t return to the floor for the rest of the game. This could end up being costly for the Suns as the Wolves expanded the lead by 19 points in the fourth quarter in Allen’s absence. Sadly, the Valley side couldn’t operate with the player, who has the league’s best three-point shooting percentage.

In the last game, Allen’s poor night was masked by Royce O’Neale’s performance. However, it wasn’t enough for the side as they took a 120-95 loss. Tonight wasn’t any different. The Big 3 could drop only 52 points together. O’Neale didn’t have a great night either as he didn’t make a single shot in 17 minutes. And, the Suns eventually had an embarrassing 93-105 loss.

Update: Frank Vogel mentioned that the X-rays were negative, and he will be considered for day-to-day.

Grayson Allen’s impact on the Suns

In his six-season-long career, Grayson Allen has played for four franchises already. Out of the six, he produced his career-best season in 2023-24, averaging 13.5 points with 3 assists. He came into the Suns fold as a result of the Damian Lillard trade. While it felt like yet another short stay, Allen found the right setting for himself. The Suns were already stacked with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

The Big 3 took care of the playmaking and shot creations and Allen only needed to worry about the splashing buckets. It made the 28-year-old’s life easier, and he went on to lead the season with the best three-point percentage, sinking 205 buckets in 445 attempts. Meanwhile, the master Stephen Curry held the 32nd spot with 357 buckets in 876 attempts.

The 28-year-old even got rewarded for his career-best season, as the Suns offered a four-year contract worth $70 million. The catch-and-shoot role seems to have worked out well for Allen. On the other hand, the star also has a helpful hand on the defensive end, which makes him a two-way player.

Hopefully, he recovers in time for Game 3 at home to help the side win their first game in the series. Will the Suns make a comeback? Let us know in the comments.