MIAMI – After an abysmal first half in Miami for the Phoenix Suns, the fight took a turn as the Suns created a comeback, though they couldn’t fight back as they were defeated by the Heat by a score of 127-121, while it also came at the cost of an ankle injury to their star SG Devin Booker.
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Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) dribbles the basketball as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) defends during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
A scary moment happened right before, though, as Devin Booker was injured when he came down hard in a defensive play under the basket, and immediately limped over to the locker room. Booker landed on his left ankle awkwardly and was in instant pain. Booker did return to the bench with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter as he stretched his ankle with resistance bands. Booker ended up coming back into the game in the fourth quarter and immediately got a little chippy during the final run.
Devin Booker seems to have landed awkwardly on his leg and limped straight to the locker room.
Prayers for Book 🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/cAIB6DDOs7
— CantGuardBook (@CGBBURNER) January 14, 2026
Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) lands on top of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Mark Williams took it personally that Bam Adebayo was getting the job done early on in Tuesday night’s matchup. His rebounding came alive in the second half and ended the night with 14 rebounds. For the Suns, one of the few things that makes Dillon Brooks who he is is how he plays with his intensity. Late in the third quarter, Brooks was assessed a technical foul for very minimal contact, and the energy instantly changed after. For a Phoenix team that was down 17 points at half, they fought back and were tied with the Heat 92-92 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jan 13, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Phoenix Suns interim head coach Jordan Ott reacts from the sideline against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Phoenix kept the comeback rolling as they took a 101-99 lead with a little over 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Suns HC Jordan Ott yet again made the right adjustments when needed to create offensive efficiency. Collin Gillespie kept the energy going as he was hitting open threes.
It was a close contest right until the end, though Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell took over late for Miami and hit their open shots, and defeated the Suns in a hard-fought battle by a score of on Tuesday night.
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
