The Phoenix Suns returning 3-2 after a five-game road trip are expected to be at full strength Saturday against the Washington Wizards as Jusuf Nurkić (reconditioning) and Bradley Beal (probable, left ankle sprain) return to the lineup.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Beal missed three of the five games on the road after spraining his left ankle in the first game against the Atlanta Hawks. He played in the penultimate game, a 118-92 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and scored just five points on four shot attempts in 24 minutes.
Nurkić has missed the last six Suns games with an illness. He came down with the flu the game before the road slate against the Charlotte Hornets. The 11-year big man did not play in the two games before the Hornets game due to a coach’s decision.
Upon averaging 8.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in 26 games this season, Nurkić has seemingly fallen out of the rotation following the acquisition of Nick Richards.
“All those guys just got to earn their minutes,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said of what he plans to do with the Nurkić-Richards-Mason Plumlee-Oso Ighodaro center rotation. “That’s the message to not just Nurk… all those guys have played for us and they’re capable, so they’ve all just got to earn their minutes.
The Suns (22-21) take on the Wizards (6-37) at home Saturday at 7 p.m. MST.
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
