Suns center Deandre Ayton to play vs. Blazers after missing last 2 games

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The Phoenix Suns will be closer to full strength as they get ready to wrap up a two-game road trip on Tuesday.

Head coach Monty Williams said pregame that center Deandre Ayton will play in Tuesday night’s contest against the Portland Trail Blazers after being questionable earlier in the day with a non-COVID-19 illness.

Suns guard Devin Booker (left hamstring strain), forward Abdel Nader (right knee injury management) and center Jalen Smith (non-COVID-19 illness) all remain out, while two-way forward Chandler Hutchison was transferred back to the G League.

Ayton’s return will be a big boost for a Suns team that only had one healthy big in backup center JaVale McGee and only 10 total players available to suit up in Monday night’s 111-95 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old center had missed each of the Suns’ last two contests.

Phoenix went 1-1 in that span, with McGee stepping up as the team’s starting center with a pair of double-doubles.

The first of those featured a 21-point, 15-rebound performance in the 111-90 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Smith came in for McGee off the bench in that contest but was ruled out Monday due to a non-COVID-19 illness.

Monday also saw the 2020 No. 10 overall pick out of Maryland pop up on the trade rumor mill.

The Suns tip off against the Trail Blazers at 8 p.m. Listen live on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

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