Phoenix Suns getting healthier with return of Bol Bol vs. Lakers
Jan 10, 2024, 6:39 PM | Updated: Jan 11, 2024, 6:40 pm
Bol Bol #11 of the Phoenix Suns reacts during the first half of the NBA game against the Miami Heat at Footprint Center on January 05, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Heat 113-97. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns are getting back Bol Bol (right ankle sprain) and Nassir Little (left knee soreness) for Thursday’s game in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
The return of those two and two-way center Udoka Azubuike (illness) means Phoenix is now only missing Damion Lee, who had surgery on his right meniscus in mid-October prior to the start of the season. Lee was the only player listed on Wednesday’s injury report, as this is the healthiest Phoenix has been all year.
That was until shortly before the matchup when backup center Drew Eubanks was ruled out due to an illness
The Lakers, meanwhile, listed Anthony Davis probable (left ankle sprain/bone bruise), LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) and Cam Reddish (facial laceration) questionable and Rui Hachimura (left calf strain) doubtful. Guard Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) remains out.
Bol got his second opportunity in the rotation on Jan. 1 and played 20 good minutes in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The hyper-large and skilled 7-foot-3 player was reinventing himself as an energy big, making hustle plays off the ball and the correct reads when he was on it. He sprained that ankle in Friday’s victory against the Miami Heat.
Little has had spurts of good play but his latest stint out was his fifth different one of the season already, and this absence was over seven games. The 23-year-old had problems staying healthy in Portland prior to getting acquired by the Suns. Of Phoenix’s options on the wing among the reserves, Little has been the most reliable. He’s averaging 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.
Azubuike got a chance to play because of injuries on Dec. 22, and like Bol he took advantage of it. He spent the next handful of games as the first center off the bench, although Vogel was filling those minutes elsewhere with Azubuike only playing 20 total minutes in his last four games before Eubanks took back the position on the depth chart.
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