Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen has been pretty “unlucky,” as he put it, spraining his right ankle in the third quarter of both Games 1 and 2 of the Suns’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!With Phoenix now down 0-2, Allen said he is questionable for tomorrow’s Game 3 home matchup despite going down in a lot of pain when he suffered his ankle sprain in Game 2 by stepping on Mike Conley’s foot.
Grayson Allen in a lot of pain after re-twisting his already sprained right anklepic.twitter.com/qrzUd4ha7a
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“(It’s) better than I thought,” Allen said.
He added: “I didn’t do everything in practice today. Did some stuff on my own before. And hopefully a little bit more tomorrow morning. Give it another night’s rest, another day of healing.”
Allen did not return in both games after suffering his ankle injuries and X-rays were negative after both games. He was also questionable for Game 2 before coach Frank Vogel said he was available pregame.
Allen added that the second ankle sprain hurt more than the first (see the first one below).
Replay of #Suns three-point shooter Grayson Allen twisting his ankle. Eventually went off under his own power to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/RLJIRMYomQ
— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) April 20, 2024
“Whenever you are jumping and landing, it’s usually more of a violent roll,” Allen said. “It’s more painful when you do it that way, then flat on the ground.
“If you land on somebody’s foot, there’s no prevention. I already wear those big braces that’s kept me in a good spot for the whole year. Just stepping on somebody’s foot two games in a row is just an unlucky part of the game.”
Allen has only made one field goal (on five attempts) through the first two games in 42 minutes. He signed a four-year, $70 million extension with the Suns just four days before the playoffs after averaging a career-high 13.5 points and shooting a league-best 46.1% from behind the arc in the regular season, his first with Phoenix after being acquired on Sept. 27 in the Deandre Ayton/Damian Lillard trade.
“It’s a group decision mostly between me and the training staff in there on where it’s at tomorrow before the game,” Allen said on how it will be determined if he plays tomorrow.
Despite rolling his ankle twice, Allen is remaining confident in himself.
“I’ve rolled my ankles a ton in my career,” Allen said. “It’s just kind of something you accept that it’s part of the game. You can just land on somebody’s foot, and that’s how it goes. I don’t think mentally that is really in the back of my mind. Because I know if I roll it again, I rolled it twice before like it’s gonna be alright, so it’s not really a worry.”
Game 3 tips off at 7:30 p.m. MST tomorrow night at Footprint Center, as the Suns will play in front of their home crowd for the first time.
Grayson Allen in a lot of pain after re-injuring right ankle
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
