The Phoenix Suns’ starting lineup will look as follows against the Golden State Warriors. DONNIE DRUIN 4 HOURS AGO
Metu has played in 12 games and will get his first start tonight.
Beal has yet to play since last appearing on Nov. 12, though Suns head coach Frank Vogel is confident after some good practice time ahead of tonight:
“I think reasonably that there could be some rust, but he’s had a couple of really good practices. He looked really sharp. So my expectation is he’s going to play a hell of a basketball game,” Vogel said prior to the game.
The Suns previously ruled out the likes of Kevin Durant, Nassir Little, Grayson Allen and Damion Lee ahead of tonight’s matchup.
Durant injured his ankle in last Tuesday’s battle against the Los Angeles Lakers, which saw him miss Friday’s game against Sacramento. Phoenix’s Big 3 will continue their wait for a regular season debut.
Little is suffering from a nasal fracture/concussion while Allen is healing a strained groin also sustained against the Lakers. Lee has been out since training camp after tearing his meniscus and is out indefinitely.
Only three players have played in all 22 games thus far: Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Okogie and Jordan Goodwin.
“It is part of it. I mean, you have to deal with it. It is part of the NBA season,” Suns guard Devin Booker said last week. “We are not going to be the only team to deal with injuries throughout. The good teams find a way to win when they are down players.”
The Suns hope to again find their winning ways after dropping their last four-of-five matchups heading into tonight. Golden State comes into Phoenix 4-4 in their last eight games.
Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won “Best Sports Column” in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!