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Bradley Beal will miss his eighth game of the season when the Phoenix Suns take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Wednesday. Beal will miss the game because of a back injury that ruled him out for the first seven games. He played the last three in a row, making his exclusion against the Timberwolves surprising.
It was the closest the Suns were to playing their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Beal together. Booker will play after missing the last seven games. He has played on twice thus far, having dealt with injuries to his calf, ankle and foot.
Beal was listed as probable, so he was likely to play. Booker even expressed his excitement to be on the floor with his co-stars after the shootaround on Wednesday morning.
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Bradley Beal had upped his playing time in his last two games, playing 32 minutes against the LA Lakers on Friday and 30 against the OKC Thunder on Sunday. Phoenix's three-day seemed an ideal time for Beal to recover after playing three games in a row, but that hasn't made any impact.
Phoenix Suns needed Bradley Beal and Big-3 debut tonight
The Phoenix Suns needed Bradley Beal tonight. They are on a two-game losing streak and face the NBA's best team of late, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are riding on a seven-game winning streak and are second in the Western Conference with an 8-2 record.
The Suns are 10th with a 4-6 record, still in search of a decent winning stretch and luck when it comes to injuries. Kevin Durant has been the only star available in every game. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal haven't played together yet during the regular season.
The only time the three were on the floor together was in preseason. The Suns seemingly looked lethal in those minutes as teams struggled with their defensive coverage against them.
The Suns could've used the triple-threat offense against the T'Wolves, who are the No. 1 defensive team through three weeks. For now, Phoenix will hope Booker can continue to be available for a stretch of games, as he has been in elite form in the two games he has played.
