The Suns listed guard Bradley Beal as questionable (ankle) for Phoenix’s game at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday while Jusuf Nurkic is out (return to competition reconditioning).
Beal last played 28 minutes on Tuesday in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, where he finished with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting with three assists.
“It’s been smooth. I haven’t had any setbacks or anything out of the ordinary,” Beal told Azcentral’s Duane Rankin of the recovery process on Sunday. “All the imaging came back, you know, what we expected it to be nothing crazy, just a little sprain.”
He has scored 25 points in two of six games since being pulled from the starting lineup, averaging 16.3 points (50.7% shooting) and four assists per game over the stretch. Phoenix went 4-2 in those games and won the two games he has missed with the injury.
Nurkic remains away from the team as it continues its road trip, Rankin reported. He has been listed with an illness for the last several games.
His last game was a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 4 in which he totaled eight points, three rebounds and five fouls in 19 minutes (-22).
Recent trade acquisition Nick Richards made his Suns debut on Saturday, providing 21 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. He is expected to become the starting center once fully acclimated to the team.
Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro have otherwise taken the bulk of the minutes at center.
Which Cavaliers will be out vs. Suns?
Starting power forward Evan Mobley (calf) and rotational wing Isaac Okoro (shoulder) were ruled out for Cleveland.
Their absences will leave the Cavaliers without two of their best defenders as well as 24.4 points and 10.9 rebounds combined per game.
