Bradley Beal returns to lineup as Suns rank among teams with highest number of missed games.
The trio of star players – Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal – will make their return on Tuesday when the Phoenix Suns take on the Golden State Warriors.
Even without their All-Star guard from Washington, the Suns starting lineup at 12-10 was able to hold their own. Despite the 30-year-old player missing games due to a back injury, the team still managed to achieve a 10-9 record in those games.
Beal will be making his first game appearance since November 7th tonight against the Warriors. The Suns are favored by 3.5 points with a -155 moneyline, according to oddsmakers from ESPN BET Arizona. Yengols.com analyzed the number of games missed by each NBA team’s starting lineups to give a closer look at Phoenix’s injury ranking in the league.
NBA starters have missed the most games.
Suns are among the top leaders in games missed.
With Beal missing 19 games and Booker sidelined for nine due to injury, the Suns currently rank third in the league for games missed at 34. Memphis leads with the suspension of Ja Morant, followed by Miami in second place with 35 games missed.
Beal’s injury has greatly affected the Suns, as it makes up about 18% of their starting five’s career win shares, leading to a clear gap in the team’s lineup.
The team’s starting five ranks sixth in the league in win shares, totaling 52.2 win shares for Beal’s career. They trail behind Miami, Milwaukee, the L.A. Clippers, the L.A. Lakers, and the Warriors. Beal’s career win share total surpasses that of three NBA teams (San Antonio, Orlando, and Detroit), but falls just short of Oklahoma City’s total of 54.5.
Luckily for Phoenix and Arizona sports betting app users, Beal is back in peak condition just in time for their four-game homestand until Dec. 17. The upcoming opponents, including the Warriors, Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, have a combined record of 38-50 (.432) this season.
Beal’s return and a favorable schedule in the upcoming week will give the Suns a chance to experiment with various lineup combinations, which should help them find their rhythm before their Christmas Day game against Dallas at home.
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Peterson Christopher, with over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona, has been appointed as the lead writer at yengols.com. He has previously written for ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News.
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