According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks due to the ankle injury he suffered on Friday night.
Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal is likely to miss a few weeks with his right ankle injury, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Good news for Beal is testing showed no major ankle damage, but it's another setback for Beal after the scary landing on a Knicks closeout Friday night. pic.twitter.com/a7Z8MA71Ue
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 17, 2023
Beal injured his right ankle landing on Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo’s foot on a 3-point shot he made with 7:28 left in the first quarter Friday.DiVincenzo was called for a flagrant 1 after the play was reviewed.
Bradley Beal twisted his ankle on this play…Hope he’s ok. 🙏
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 16, 2023
“Injuries are part of the game, and [we’re] disappointed for him. He’s worked really hard. You could see the disappointment on his face in the back,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said following the game against the New York Knicks.
“That’s my biggest concern is just keeping him lifted. He’ll get back soon enough, but it’s been a frustrating injury type of season for him. In terms of us, injuries are part of the game. So we can’t get caught up in that. It’s just part of it, and you move on.”
Phoenix sits in 10th place in the Western Conference as they host the Washington Wizards (4-20). The Suns have lost two straight and six of their last 10. The Suns are 11-8 without Beal.
However, Beal is not the only player that will sit out against the Wizards. The Wizards will be without Josh Okogie (hip) for the third straight game. Nassir Little is questionable after recently returning from a nasal fracture/concussion earlier this week. Meanwhile, Eric Gordon is listed as probable after missing the loss vs New York with a lower leg contusion.
Anthony Davis Among Several Lakers Listed As Game-Time-Decision Against New York
The Los Angeles Lakers have five players on their injury report for Monday’s clash against the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. Anthony Davis is considered a Game-Time-Decision after missing Friday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs due to a sprained ankle. Davis rolled his ankle on Wednesday against the Spurs.
Cam Reddish and D’Angelo Russell are also listed as GTD. Reddish sat out Friday’s contest with a knee injury. Russell missed his first game of the season on Friday due to an illness.
Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham provided updates on all three injured starters after Friday’s loss and did not sound too concerned about them moving forward.
“Obviously they’re all dealing with some different issues, various issues. I think D-Lo’s situation is more under the weather. And then obviously, A.D. is with his ankle and Cam with his knee. But throughout it all, we just got to get healthy. We got a big week coming up. Tomorrow, we’ll be further updated, guys will get treatment and then hopefully come back ready to work on Sunday to start our big week out with New York on Monday.”
“You can’t control health… the sooner we can get healthy the better.” Darvin Ham speaks on the injuries and effects of the IST. pic.twitter.com/ylQDJiYAt2
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 16, 2023
Gabe Vincent, who has been out since Oct. 30 because of rehabilitation from left knee effusion, is expected to return soon, though his status against the Knicks is unknown. Last week, Charania said that Vincent was targeting Monday as his return.
However, Ham remained noncommital on Friday.
“We won’t speculate. Once we get our update on Gabe, we’ll let you guys know. He had a good workout today and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams, slated to be a restricted free agent this offseason, has officially met the starter criteria, as he has averaged 41 starts over the last two seasons, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams has now averaged 41 starts over the past 2 seasons.
As a result, Williams has met the starter criteria and is now eligible to receive a one-year $12,973,527 Qualifying Offer in the offseason.
If Williams had not met the criteria, the…
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 17, 2023
That means Williams will be eligible for a $12,973,527 qualifying offer next summer instead of $7,744,601.
Williams has increased his production in each of his last two months. The 22-year-old forward averages 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 rebounds in 32.1 minutes over seven December contests.
In other news, Alex Caruso sat out Chicago’s loss 118-116 to Miami on Saturday with a sprained ankle. Coach Billy Donovan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that the expected to be a long-term concern.
“Hopefully, a few days clears it up. We don’t anticipate him missing any major time,” Donovan said.
Orlando Magic Injuries
Orlando Magic point guard Markelle Fultz is not expected to be available for this afternoon’s game against the Boston Celtics. Fultz, who missed his 16th straight game on Friday after being downgraded from questionable, is considered doubtful due to left knee tendinitis.
As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel tweeted, Fultz has only gone through portions of practice this week, so the club wasn’t quite ready to clear him for game action.
I asked #Magic coach Jamahl Mosley what went into the decision to rule Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis) OUT tonight at Boston:
(A reminder that Fultz had only joined his Orlando teammates for portions of practice this week and hasn't been "full go" yet.) https://t.co/75meCQCj0o pic.twitter.com/MObdDb9xSs
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) December 15, 2023
Fultz also didn’t participate in contact drills on Saturday.
#Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis) practiced today, but there was no contact with his work.
"There's nothing new to report on Markelle," Mosley said. "It's about the same."
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) December 16, 2023
Fultz told reporters on Thursday that he thinks he’ll be back sooner rather than later. The former No. 1 overall pick told Beede that he’s been “progressing great,” though he’s also on board with the team’s cautious approach to the injury.
“I’m thinking the long game here,” Fultz said. “I don’t want to come back in, play a few games, and have to sit back out. When I’m back, I want to stay back for the long run.”
In other Magic news, Jalen Suggs and Joe Ingles are listed as questionable for today’s affair against the Celtics. Suggs did not participate in Saturday’s practice as he is dealing with a left wrist sprain. Ingles picked up a left ankle sprain against Cleveland on Monday, and it seems he’s not entirely recovered from the injury yet, as he was limited to six minutes against the Celtics on Friday.
Other Tidbits
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Derrick Rose is considered questionable for Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rose left the Grizzlies’ loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday due to hamstring soreness.
Boston Celtics starting center Kristaps Porzingis appears set to return to action on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, as he is not on the C’s injury report. Porzingis, who missed four games in late November/early December, sat out the Celtics 128-115 victory over the Magic on Friday. However, Dalano Banton (non-covid illness) is listed as questionable, and Luke Kornet (left Abductor) has been declared out. Kornet could return to action when the Celtics face the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
