After not playing since March 16, Bradley Beal could make his return for the Phoenix Suns, according to Duane Rankin of AZCentral.com
While Suns fans and Beal were frustrated with the injuries, his return might come at a crucial time. Phoenix is 11th in the Western Conference and would be out of the play-in tournament.
On the flip side, Kevin Durant sprained his ankle during the Suns loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Although one superstar might be down, another star can come in and try to fill the void.
However, their opponent will not do them any favors. The Boston Celtics are second in the Eastern Conference and are the favorites to win the NBA Finals.
Not to mention, the Celtics gave the Suns a 30-point beatdown in late March. In a matter of days, the two teams will square off again.
Still, that game was without Beal, and with Durant. For Friday's contest, the inverse can likely happen. Beal has played 48 games this season, but has missed crucial stretches. For the final few games of the season, his health might make all the difference.
Bradley Beal could return for the Suns
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Although the fit hasn't been the best, Beal is still proving to be an effective player. He's shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He's attempted to play more off of the ball this season.
At the end of the day, it hasn't stopped the Suns from having problems of their own. Initially, they thought that moving Beal to the bench was the answer. It was not.
Then, they brought him back into the starting lineup. It seemed to work for a while before Beal was injured once again. As a result, Durant and Devin Booker are both carrying the Phoenix offense.
Facing the Celtics, and then the New York Knicks on Sunday can prove to be a daunting task. After all, every game at this point inches the Suns closer or further from play-in contention.
Losing Durant doesn't make matters any easier for them. Not to mention that Beal might have to knock off some rust from not playing in the previous eight games.
That might not be the time to have some delays. The expectation is high for Phoenix to close out the season with wins on wins. Luckily for them, Beal just might be the catalyst in pulling off some much-needed wins.