Deandre Ayton misses 5th straight game for Suns due to right leg contusion

Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton will miss his fifth straight game on Sunday against the Houston Rockets due to a contusion on his lower right leg.

Ayton missed one game because of the injury before returning on Nov. 4. The fourth-year center, however, was ruled out the morning of Saturday’s win versus the Atlanta Hawks because of the same injury after originally not being on the injury report.

Prior to the Suns’ last two games, Ayton earned the injury report designation of doubtful, which is not an optimistic development for his chances to play on Monday in Minnesota.

Head coach Monty Williams said at this point in the center’s recovery, it’s about getting his stamina back up.

“Just conditioning, and just getting himself able to play the way we want him to play, the way he’s comfortably playing,” he said before Sunday’s game.

In six games this season, Ayton is averaging 14.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Without Ayton, the Suns have kept on cruising, winners of seven straight entering Sunday.

That effort has been aided by reserve center Frank Kaminsky, who has stepped into a rotation role behind JaVale McGee and played terrifically. Kaminsky scored a career-high 31 points in Wednesday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers and is averaging 12.3 points per game this season.

The Suns’ matchup with Houston is at 5 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2.

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