Jusuf Nurkic in, Bradley Beal remains out as Knicks visit Suns
Nov 20, 2024, 12:22 PM | Updated: 7:37 pm
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic will play Wednesday as Phoenix hosts the New York Knicks at Footprint Center.
Nurkic was originally listed as questionable, and the Suns will continue to play without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant as they manage calf strains. Ryan Dunn and Royce O’Neal will once again take their places in the starting five.
The Knicks began the season short-staffed in the frontcourt. Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) and fellow big Precious Achiuwa (hamstring strain) have missed the Knicks’ 8-6 start to the season and remain out against Phoenix.
New York is also without backup guard Miles McBride, who for the past week has dealt with knee inflammation.
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Phoenix enters the game on a four-game skid that correlates with Beal’s and Durant’s absences. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has mixed and matched his lineups, using backup centers Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro in place of Nurkic, and sometimes at the same time.
Meanwhile, the reshaped Knicks have won three straight, albeit against struggling Brooklyn twice and Washington once.
Wednesday marks the first time the Suns have played the Knicks since New York acquired former Suns wing Mikal Bridges from the Nets this offseason. New York also traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason.
The deals and injuries have left the Knicks’ depth chart thin behind a formidable starting lineup that also includes Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.
The Knicks’ rotation has included backup big man Jericho Sims, former Suns backup point guard Cam Payne and rookie point guard Tyler Kolek, a favorite of many Suns fans in this past draft.
Rookie first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, a 6-foot-8 wing selected 25th overall, has also received a heavier share of minutes in the past three games.
New York has uncharacteristically struggled on the defensive end so far this season under Tom Thibodeau — the Knicks are 21st there — but is third in offensive rating, second in overall field goal percentage (50%) and third in 3-point accuracy (38.8%).
