Bradley Beal to undergo nasal procedure, sidelining him ‘a couple of days’
Feb 6, 2024, 11:13 PM | Updated: Feb 7, 2024, 12:31 am
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is expected to undergo a procedure to fix his nasal fracture and could miss time, TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg said during the Suns’ win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
“It would be great if (the procedure) happened over the All-Star break where Beal … could miss time during the break where there’s no playing,” Greenberg said. “It’s unclear when that will happen, but when it does it’s going to sideline him for a couple of days.”
Beal said after the game that his nose “probably looks like an S,” and that the reset is definitely coming.
“Luckily, we got the All-Star break coming up, I’ll have to make a decision on whether I’m doing a little bit of a nose job or not,” Beal said. “(And if not) I’ll wait until the offseason.”
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Beal has played with a mask on since breaking his nose on Jan. 26 when taking a charge on Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. He took another shot to the face on Feb. 2 in Atlanta against the Hawks but managed to come back into the game both times.
He added that playing with the mask “sucks” and has been an adjustment, particularly when it comes to losing the peripheral vision.
“At the end of the day, it’s a protective thing,” Beal explained. “As long as I can see the basket and (the mask) doesn’t slide around, I’m fine … it won’t be an excuse for me.”
In the four games that followed the initial fracture, Beal was clearly affected with his scoring down to 13.5 points per game on 34.5% shooting from the field and 12.5% from distance. He withered the pain for a 43-point outburst in his return to Washington on Sunday and shot 10-for-22 against the Bucks on Tuesday.
Beal also took a shot to the back of the head in the fourth quarter of the win over the Bucks but stayed in after that too. He delivered the dagger 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining, finishing the game with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Before the Wizards matchup, coach Frank Vogel alluded to the possibility of a reset.
“There (are) conversations about that. There’s probably more work to be done,” Vogel said. “He’s not out of the woods yet.”
