(Photo by Philip Pacheco / Anadolu Group / Getty Images)
It was supposed to be a deja vu case for the Phoenix Suns backyard combo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker at Saturday’s NBA All-Star tournaments on Sunday.
But unfortunately for Booker, a left-center sprain is held up in Thursday night’s 120-98 win over the Golden State Warriors set for the performances.
It is listed as day-to-day and will be reassessed after the All-Star break.
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. will replace Booker in both the All-Star Game and the three-point tournament.
Paul will remain part of the pregame festivals, however, as he aims to showcase his shooting, dribble and passing abilities in the NBA Skills Challenge.
Here’s a look at the pair’s highs and lows from last year’s competitions:
Chris Paul
Paul has appeared in four NBA skills tournaments. He participated in his first two seasons as an NBA player with the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans).
In 2006, Paul finished behind Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who won the tournament by finishing the tournament in 26.1 seconds.
A year later, Paul was reunited with Wade, who is one of three NBA players to have won the tournament more than once.
Paul’s last third appearance in the tournament occurred in 2011, when he went viral online after missing a layup during the opening of the event.
In the 2011 edition of the skills tournament Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry saw his first title in the event, finishing the course in 28.2 seconds.
Shortly on ten years and 35-year-old Paul is still on track to bring the skills competition crown to the Valley.
If he does, he will join Steve Nash as the only franchise member to do so, with Nash winning the tournament in 2005 and 2010.
The Suns guard in the tournament will be joined by Luka Doncic of Dallas, Robert Covington of Portland, Julius Randle of New York, Domantas Sabonis of Indiana and Nikola Vucevic of Orlando in this year’s skills competition.
Devin Booker
(Photo by Philip Pacheco / Anadolu Group / Getty Images)
Booker would have been looking to capture his second three-point contest crown, having previously done so in 2018.
The sixth-year pro first appeared in 2016, when Warriors guard Klay Thompson won overall.
This was the fourth straight three-point contest for the 24-year. After winning in 2018, Booker advanced to the finals in 2019 and was second last year to Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield.