The Phoenix Suns were excited to trade for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal this summer, but a back injury limited him to three games.
He plans to hit those four on Tuesday when the Golden State Warriors visit the Suns in Phoenix. Beal is expected to be part of Phoenix’s Big Three this year alongside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. However, he suffered from back pain that kept him out of the first seven games of the season. After returning, Beal played in three games, suffering another back injury on November 12 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hasn’t played since.Booker has also struggled with injuries this season, missing nine games, including all three played by Beal. Tuesday could be the first time all three All-Stars play together outside of the preseason. The trio had the opportunity to play together in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game as members of Team Durant, but in a foreshadowing of their future as the Phoenix Suns, Durant was forced to miss the game due to injury.Will we finally see them appear in court on Tuesday? Beal will play unless he suffers a setback. Durant is less likely to play. He missed Friday’s Suns-Kings game with an ankle injury and didn’t practice Sunday. They will also be without Nassir Little, who has an orbital fracture and is in concussion protocol, and perhaps Grayson Allen, who injured his groin, presumably while he was trying to trip someone. We also won’t see Splash’s brother-in-law, Damion Lee, who is still recovering from meniscus surgery. Even without their Big Three, Phoenix posted a respectable 12-10 record and beat the Warriors in both meetings. Beal will provide a reinforcement to what could still be a somewhat undermanned Suns team on Tuesday, although the Warriors have proven this year that they can blow a lead no matter who the opposing players are on the court. Aside from Gary Payton II, who is still recovering from his calf injury, the Warriors should be at full strength after Chris Paul recovers from his recent illness and will be able to practice Sunday.This will also be Beal’s opportunity to compete with Steph Curry, as they did directly and indirectly in 2021 when Curry won his second scoring title. Tuesday’s other big shocker comes when Steve Kerr takes on the DJ at the Footprint Center. After the Warriors-Suns game on November 22, Kerr went all-in on “Get off my Lawn!” mode on music during the game. To quote Huey Lewis in “Back to the Future”: Kerr thought the music was too loud. “You can’t hear anything in this building because it’s like a club,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “It’s like a South Beach club out there. What are we doing? I’m absolutely serious. I couldn’t hear anything. It’s blaring club techno music. Can we just have another basketball game?While Kerr’s comments made him a hero to dads, surly neighbors, earplug makers, and women named Karen, DJ Chris Villa became a different kind of hero by remixing the sonic complaints of Kerr in a hard-hitting techno club song Friday night. Will the Suns actually play this song when Kerr and the Warriors visit? It seems a little too confrontational. Let’s just say the odds are slightly worse than the odds of the Suns’ entire Big Three suiting up for the game.
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