Durant, Suns to host Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder
The Suns will take on conference foe Oklahoma CityMARCH 3 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX SUNS 9-7 · 7TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
9-7 · 7TH IN WESTERN CONFERENCE
Next Game vs Lakers · Wed 3:00AM
PHX -3.0 TOTAL 234
Suns G Devin Booker sprains right ankle Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker sprained his right ankle late in Saturday night’s 118-109 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets.Suns coach Fra...
MARCH 3 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Rockets end road drought, get win over Suns Jalen Green recorded 34 points and nine rebounds and the Houston Rockets broke a nine-game road losing streak with a 118-109 victory over th...
MARCH 3 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Devin Booker - Tweaks ankle late in game Booker left Saturday's 118-109 loss to Houston with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury and went to the locker room, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports...
Impact Booker stepped on Royce O'Neale's ankle and was in immediate pain. He had a heavy limp on his way to the locker room, and he didn't return for the final minute. The Suns play again Sunday versus the Thunder, but it remains to be seen if Booker will be able to play. If not, the Suns will need guys like O'Neale and Josh Okogie to step up, and it's possible that Eric Gordon (groin) could be ready to return.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Bradley Beal and Jalen Green going at each other 🍿
MARCH 3 • YOUTUBE
Bradley Beal - Ejected against Houston Beal was ejected against Houston on Saturday after an altercation with Jalen Green. He finished with seven points (3-6 FG, 1-1 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in...
Impact Beal and Green were tangled up and a shoving match ensued. A suspension seems unlikely, and Beal was likely getting close to his unspecified minutes restrictions after recently recovering from a hamstring injury.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Jusuf Nurkic - Will not return Saturday Nurkic will not return to Saturday's game versus Houston due to neck spasms. He finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 17 minutes.
Impact Nurkic left the game before halftime and was ruled out shortly thereafter. Drew Eubanks started the second half in his place, and he would likely be a big beneficiary if Nurkic misses Sunday's game versus the Thunder. Bol Bol could also be a candidate to see a boost in fantasy value.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Jusuf Nurkic - Heads to locker room Saturday Nurkic headed to the locker room with 1:40 left in the second quarter of Saturday's game against the Rockets due to an apparent collision and a potential head/face injury, Gerald B...
Impact Nurkic suffered a collision in the second quarter and was forced to leave to the locker room, whether further tests will determine whether he'll be able to return or not. The Suns are doing the right thing by being cautious with their starting center, and if he can't return to the hardwood, then Drew Eubanks would probably absorb most of the minutes at center, with Thaddeus Young and Bol Bol also being options.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Royce O'Neale - Moves to bench O'Neale will come off the bench for Saturday's game against the Rockets.
Impact Bradley Beal is back in the lineup for Saturday, so this is an expected move. Eric Gordon (groin) is out, however, so it's likely that O'Neale will maintain a significant role.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Nassir Little - Out for Saturday Little (knee) will not play Saturday versus Houston, Amanda Pflugrad of 3TV Phoenix reports.
Impact Little will miss his second game in a row Saturday, but his absence won't have a big impact on the rotation with Bradley Beal returning.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Eric Gordon - Won't play Saturday Gordon (groin) won't play Saturday against the Rockets, Amanda Pflugrad of 3TV Phoenix reports.
Impact The veteran sharpshooter will miss a third consecutive game with a nagging groin injury, but the Suns will get a much-needed boost on offense with the expected return of Bradley Beal, who had been out recently due to a hamstring problem. Royce O'Neal is expected to receive most of Gordon's minutes, though he'll likely play off the bench with Beal expected back in the starting unit. Gordon's next chance to play will come in the second half of a back-to-back set against the Thunder on Sunday.
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Bradley Beal - Good to go Saturday Beal (hamstring) will play in Saturday's game against the Rockets, Amanda Pflugrad of 3TV Phoenix reports.
Impact This was the expectation, as Beal was upgraded to probable prior to this update. This will be Beal's first game since Feb. 13, so it's likely that he'll have some restrictions early on. His return will be a big relief to Phoenix, as they are missing Eric Gordon (groin).
MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE
Suns star Devin Booker reacts to heated confrontations with Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore “Just competing, extra physical,” Suns star Devin Booker says of his confrontation with Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore. “I respect going at a t...
MARCH 2 • USATODAY.COM
Tension could linger in third Rockets-Suns matchup The Phoenix Suns seek to run their homecourt winning streak to 10 games when they close a two-game set against the Houston Rockets on Saturd...
MARCH 2 • KANSASCITY.COM
Draymond Green Gets Honest on Relationship With Kevin Durant Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have had their ups and downs.
MARCH 1 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Nassir Little - Unlikely to play Saturday Little (knee) is doubtful for Saturday's game versus the Rockets, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports.
Impact Little is expected to miss his second straight contest due to left knee inflammation. Even when available, Little has been an inconsistent part of Phoenix's rotation.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Eric Gordon - Considered questionable Gordon (groin) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Rockets, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Impact Gordon has missed back-to-back games due to a groin injury. Bradley Beal (hamstring) is expected to return from a five-game absence Saturday, so Gordon's potential absence wouldn't be as significant. Royce O'Neale has been playing well, but his playing time would presumably take a hit if both Gordon and Beal are available versus Houston.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Bradley Beal - Likely to play Saturday Beal (hamstring) is probable for Saturday's game against the Rockets, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Impact Beal's on track to suit up following a five-game absence, but given he hasn't played since Feb. 13, it's safe to assume he'll have some restrictions to avoid a potential setback. Before suffering the hamstring injury, Beal was playing well, averaging 22.6 points, 6.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 36.4 minutes per game.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Josh Okogie - Unproductive in win Okogie finished with three points (1-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal across 11 minutes in the Suns' 110-105 win over Houston on Thursday.
Impact Okogie has not started a single game since coming back from a hip injury Dec. 25, and the recently acquired Royce O'Neale has taken a majority of Okogie's playing time, averaging 26.6 minutes per game. Since being moved to the bench, the 25-year-old's numbers have dropped nearly in half from 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 21.4 minutes per game to 3.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 13.9 minutes. Expect Okogie's minutes to decrease as he is buried behind Kevin Durant, O'Neale and Bol Bol on the depth chart.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Jusuf Nurkic - Mixed results in win Nurkic recorded 16 points (4-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-16 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal in 27 minutes before fouling out of Thursday's 110-105 victory over Hous...
Impact Nurkic has totaled 34 points, 35 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks and two steals over Phoenix's last two games, proving to be a difference maker while the team remains without Bradley Beal (hamstring). However, Houston employed the Hack-a-Shaq strategy down the stretch of Thursday's game, and Nurkic struggled to stay efficient from the charity stripe. Fantasy managers in category leagues likely took a hit in the free-throw department due to this performance, but Nurkic, who also committed a season-high seven turnovers, still did enough Thursday to make a positive impact in most leagues.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Saben Lee - Impactful in rare appearance Lee put up four points (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT), two assists and one rebound across eight minutes during Thursday's 110-105 win over Houston.
Impact In just his fifth appearance in February, the two-way guard was able to make the most of his limited minutes. Due to injuries to both Bradley Beal (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (groin), Lee has seen an increased role averaging 5.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 9.6 minutes per game. With Beal and Gordon seemingly returning to the rotation soon, expect a decrease in Lee's minutes.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Kevin Durant - Goes for 24 with seven boards Durant ended Thursday's 110-105 victory over the Rockets with 24 points (8-19 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-10 FT), seven rebounds and six assists over 40 minutes.
Impact Durant didn't have his best shooting performance and once again struggled from deep, but it seems that won't matter much from time to time. Durant is simply too talented to make his presence felt in every game as long as he remains healthy. Durant is on the verge of reaching 10 straight games with 20 or more points.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Devin Booker - Goes for 35 points in win Thursday Booker totaled 35 points (13-27 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 39 minutes during Thursday's 110-105 win over the Rockets.
Impact Booker caught fire at some point in the game, and once he reached top gear, he was almost impossible to stop. The star Phoenix guard is having another excellent season and is averaging 27.6 points, 6.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
Royce O'Neale - Stuffs stat sheet in starting role O'Neale finished with 11 points (3-10 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, seven assists, one block and three steals across 37 minutes during Thursday's 110-105 win over the Rockets...
Impact O'Neale didn't have his best scoring performance, but he still salvaged his fantasy day with an outstanding stat line that featured multiple contributions in four of the major five categories. O'Neale is not going to carry the team on offense any time soon, but he will remain valuable as long as he can continue to impact the game at both ends with ease.
MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE
