The Phoenix Suns will be on the road Friday as they continue their road trip against the Boston Celtics.
Phoenix has been in a major slump recently as they have lost four consecutive contests and five of their last 10 games.
They will now have another tough matchup against a Celtics team that has won nine of their last 10 games, but they are coming off to a loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
With the Suns looking to turn their season around and make a late season push for the final Play-In spot in the Western Conference, they did receive some positive news on Thursday regarding the health of star guard Bradley Beal.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer announced that Beal is expected to return on Friday against the Celtics, which will end his eight-game absence.
Bradley Beal is expected to make his return from a left hamstring strain Friday night at defending NBA champion Boston, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said after Thursday's practice.
Has missed last eight games with a left hamstring strain.
Royce O'Neale is expected to be…
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 3, 2025
Of course, Beal has been sidelined since Phoenix's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 16 due to a left hamstring strain.
This is massive news for the Suns as they will now get Beal back into the lineup to provide another reliable scoring option next to Devin Booker with Kevin Durant still sidelined due to a sprained ankle.
Beal has had a down season thus far for the Suns as he has struggled with injuries once again, but he has still been one of their best scorers alongside the star duo of Booker and Durant.
This season, Beal is averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range.
Budenholzer also announced that Royce O'Neal is also expected to play in Friday's contest after missing Tuesday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to an illness.
With the Suns getting these two players back, they will now look to get past the Sacramento Kings for the final Play-In spot with the playoffs right around the corner.
Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 3:51 PM.