BOSTON — Bradley Beal is expected to make his return Friday night against defending NBA champion Boston at TD Garden after missing eight straight games with a left hamstring strain, Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said after Thursday’s practice.
Beal indicated he was on track to return earlier this week.
“Feel good, better, a lot better,” Beal said before Tuesday’s loss at Milwaukee. “I’m progressing well. Doing everything necessary treatment wise. No setbacks.”
The Suns (35-41) also expect Royce O’Neale to play after being a late scratch before Tuesday’s game due to an illness. The Celtics (56-20) blasted the Suns, 132-102, last week in Phoenix.
“They’re both great players, smart,” Budenholzer said about Beal and O’Neale. “You need to be able to do a lot of different things against a team like Boston. So to have both Brad and Royce available is good timing.”
The Suns are still without Kevin Durant, who isn't expected to join the team on this three-game road trip that ends Sunday against the New York Knicks. He sprained his left ankle in Sunday's loss to Houston.
Beal suffered his injury in the first half of a March 16 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, sitting out the second half. He’s been participating in 5-on-5 action as of late and is on course to play Friday.
“We definitely need him,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “He’s a piece that we’ve been missing. Just make sure he’s healthy and ready to go.”
Beal has played in just 48 of the team's 76 games in his second season with the Suns, his lowest since seeing action in only a career-low 40 games in the 2021-22 season with the Washington Wizards.
“It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
Two-way player Collin Gillespie has been starting in Beal’s place. Gillespie is averaging 9.3 points and shooting 47.1% from 3 in his eight starts.
Phoenix remains 11th in the West with six games left and facing the toughest remaining NBA schedule. The Suns are a game behind Sacramento for the 10th seed and trail Dallas by 2½ games for the ninth seed.
The Kings (36-40) have lost their last three games while the Mavericks are coming off a 120-118 thriller over Atlanta Wednesday as Anthony Davis hit a game winner with 3.4 seconds remaining.
The Suns, Kings and Mavericks all play their next games Friday. Sacramento is at Charlotte (19-57) and Dallas plays at the Los Angeles Clippers (44-32).
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to
Topics in this Story
