The Phoenix Suns will try to rebound from a two-game losing streak on Sunday when they host the Washington Wizards, fresh off snapping a skid of their own.
But the Suns will have to do it without Bradley Beal.
Washington pulled out of a six-game slide on Friday when it used a 15-0, second-quarter run to take a lead it never relinquished en route to a 137-123 defeat of the Indiana Pacers.
Kyle Kuzma scored 31 points, Jordan Poole matched his season high with 30 points and dished out eight assists, and Tyus Jones recorded his second career triple-double with 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. praised Poole, an offseason acquisition from Golden State, for playing a pivotal role in Washington’s much-needed win.
“Make or miss shots, that’s one thing. He’s shown (he can) put stretches together, but to see him get the payoff, us get the win, was terrific,” Unseld said. “He was well-balanced, he was poised, facilitated, made the right reads, kept us organized and I thought he really defended at a high rate.”
Washington’s offensive output on Friday improved its scoring average to 116.8 points per game, tied for eighth in the NBA entering Saturday.
And while the Wizards remain last in the league in points allowed per game at 126.8, Washington managed to hold Indiana under its scoring average of 127.4 points.
The Wizards aim to build on the victory by scoring consecutive wins for the first time this season when they open a four-game road swing.
Phoenix is the first of four Western Conference opponents welcoming Washington to town, and the Suns are trying to get on track after losing four of their past five games and six of their past eight.
Phoenix fell to 1-3 on its current five-game homestand with its second straight loss, a 139-122 setback vs. New York on Friday.
The 139 points the Suns allowed marked a season-worst defensive effort, punctuated by New York outscoring Phoenix 42-23 in the fourth quarter. Jalen Brunson went 9-for-9 from 3-point range en route to 50 points for the Knicks, and Phoenix lost guard Beal to an ankle injury midway through the first quarter after he landed on New York’s Donte DiVincenzo.
Beal returned to the Suns’ lineup on Tuesday following a 12-game absence and scored 16 points in a win over Golden State. The three-time All-Star and 2020-21 All-NBA selection as a member of the Wizards has appeared in just six games with Phoenix since being traded there in the offseason.
Beal landed with the Suns as part of a three-team trade in June that also involved Indiana. He spent the previous 11 seasons in Washington, where he became the franchise’s all-time leader in made 3-point attempts with 1,514. He is also second in points with 15,391, trailing only Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes.
Beal will be out against his former team and The Athletic reported that he is expected to miss a few weeks due to his ankle injury. Fellow veteran guard Eric Gordon (leg) is probable, but Phoenix is searching for scoring to support Kevin Durant’s 30.7 points per game and Devin Booker’s 28.1 point output.
“We have a job to do, and we are going to do that,” Booker said after Friday’s loss. “We all have a lot of experience and have been around to understand things like this happen. It is just how you respond.”
–Field Level Media