Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel said that both Eric Gordon and Nassir Little will play tonight against the Wizards in his pregame presser.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Little will get his first start of the season over Gordon, who has started 16 of the 21 games he has played in this season.
Tonight's Five ☄️ pic.twitter.com/kJU0nrKb6N
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 18, 2023
Both players give the Suns some much-needed depth, as they have been struggling to find consistent rotations due to injuries lately. Phoenix has lost its last two games and six of its last eight.
Bradley Beal (right ankle sprain), Josh Okogie (right hip injury) and Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) are unavailable tonight after being listed as out yesterday.
The team will have an update on Beal after practice tomorrow, Vogel said. Beal suffered his ankle sprain after a scary fall on Friday, but it is reportedly not a major injury. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Beal “is likely to miss a few weeks” with the right ankle sprain.
Beal walked into the game on crutches and a brace on his ankle. Vogel shared his thoughts on Beal’s injury.
“Well we all want him out there,” Vogel said. “But every team has ankle sprains on their roster. All three of our guys (Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant0 have had ankle sprains. So, you know you are disappointed for him because you know how much he wants to be out there. But we don’t want to spend a lot of time frustrated with injuries. We focus on the guys that we have, and we go win games with those guys.”
This will be Okogie’s third game missed after he suffered the injury in the first half of Tuesday’s game vs. the Warriors and did not return. Sources say he is likely to return this week.
This was the Vogel’s update from Friday on Okogie’s status: “I don’t think it’s a long term thing. It’s a muscle irritant hip thing, so we don’t think it’s serious.”
Lee has been out since undergoing surgery on his knee this offseason.
Eric Gordon
Gordon was listed as probable on yesterday’s injury report with a right lower leg contusion after missing the last two games due to it.
He has started 16 of the 21 games he’s played in, averaging 14.2 points and 2.9 assists. Gordon has attempted and made the most threes on the Suns this season by far, shooting 57-for-143 (40%) from beyond the arc.
Vogel talked extensively about how important the 34-year-old Gordon is to the Suns, not only as a shooter, but defensively as well.
“His veterinary experience and his ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball (makes him important),” Vogel said. “He can really sit down and lock into his own man and guard in one-on-one settings. He’s a heavy strip guy defensively has good savvy on that side of the ball, and obviouslt the threat that he carries to make six threes in a game like he did in New York. To at least have the gravity and space that he gives everybody else, is valuable. And then he can put the ball on the floor too and attack like he did in the Minnesota game where he’s living in the paint, creating havoc in that type of game. So, he’s a versatile offensive player and a good two-way player.”
#Suns coach Frank Vogel confirms Eric Gordon will play tonight and talks about his impact. He said later that there will be no minutes restriction on Gordon. Gordon had missed the last two games to the injury.
"A versatile offensive player and good two-way player" https://t.co/qHnW6TRZjg pic.twitter.com/zNXby4aSln
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) December 17, 2023
Nassir Little
Little has been wearing a mask and playing through an orbital fracture he suffered last Friday vs. the Kings. However, this was not the injury he was listed for on the team’s injury report yesterday.
Little was instead listed as questionable with left knee soreness, but will be good to go.
He has been an invaluable piece for Phoenix the last two games, despite the losses, starting each of the last two second halves.
In the last 10 of the last 11 games he’s played in, Little has been on the floor for 14+ minutes. The only game he wasn’t is when he got injured against the Kings.
On the year, he is averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists.
#Suns Nassir Little (left knee soreness) IN tonight vs. #Wizards per coach Frank Vogel https://t.co/XXcix8tF0E
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) December 17, 2023
The Wizards will be without Landry Shamet (right rib strain), Delon Wright (left knee sprain) and Johnny Davis (left calf strain).
Tonight’s game tips off at 6 p.m. MST at Footprint Center.
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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
