PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns shall be getting a key participant again tonight in opposition to the Denver Nuggets.
After lacking the final three recreation with left knee soreness, Royce O’Neale has been upgraded from possible to out there for tonight’s matchup.
O’Neale had performed the primary 69 video games of the season, beginning 64 of them, earlier than this damage and is averaging a career-high 9.9 factors whereas capturing 40.3% from 3 to go together with 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 29.1 minutes per recreation this yr.
The Suns (40-32) nonetheless have a lengthy injury report outdoors of O’Neale with Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), Mark Williams (left foot third metatarsal stress response), Amir Coffey (left ankle sprain) and Haywood Highsmith (proper knee damage administration) persevering with to be out, and Ryan Dunn (proper groin soreness).
“If you look at our injury report, there’s a lot of size on our injury report. He’s one piece to that,” Ott mentioned of O’Neale earlier than Phoenix’s 120-98 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. “I think he does rebound well for his size, it’s not only his size, it’s his leadership, it’s his spacing ability, it’s his end-of-game play. We need all of those things at this point.”
The Nuggets (44-28) shall be with out Peyton Watson (proper hamstring damage administration) in opposition to Phoenix.
What Suns Are Getting Back With Royce O’Neale
Phoenix had misplaced 5 recreation in a row earlier than the win Sunday over Toronto and now will attempt to combine O’Neale again into the lineup.
The Suns have had a really small beginning 5 since Brooks went out along with his fractured hand and can probably put O’Neale again into the beginning group alongside Collin Gillespie, Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Oso Ighodaro.
Phoenix’s protection shall be its largest key tonight going in opposition to the No. 1-rated offense of the Nuggets, and O’Neale shall be an enormous piece of this, as he’s usually the first defender on this beginning lineup.
O’Neale has seen much more area offensively enjoying subsequent to each Booker and Green, which has allowed for some huge 3-point outbursts, as he’s 19-for-39 (48.7%) from deep in his final 5 video games performed.
The Suns want each win they’ll get at this level of the season with them sitting 3.5 video games again of the sixth seed within the West with solely 10 video games left to play.
They will hope O’Neale returning will assist them as they gear up for the postseason and attempt to get everybody again wholesome earlier than then.
