Suns at Wizards
The two teams with the longest odds to reach the NBA postseason square off on Friday when the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards meet in the first contest for both teams in the NBA's Orlando bubble. The NBA invited all teams within six games of a postseason spot to play eight regular season seeding games in the bubble, and both the Wizards and Suns are hoping to make all eight games interesting.
Washington sits 5 1/2 games behind the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference entering bubble play and will be without its best player after star guard Bradley Beal, who ranks second in the NBA in scoring at an average of 30.5 points, decided to opt out of the restart due to a shoulder injury that has bothered him all season. "This was a difficult decision and one that I did not take lightly as the leader of this team," Beal said in a team statement released earlier this month. "I wanted to help my teammates compete for a playoff spot in Orlando, but also understand that this will be best for all of us in the long term." The Suns are thinking long term as well but still intend to make a run at a playoff spot in the West despite coming into play six games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies. "It's an opportunity for us to really show what we've got," Phoenix center Deandre Ayton told reporters when the team arrived in the Orlando bubble. "It's a blessing. There's a little window to make the playoffs and make some history. That's all that's on our mind. We're young and hungry and we're ready to play. Quarantine gave us some time to really take a break, take a load off, take a breather. Now, it's back to work."
TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: FS Arizona, NBCS Washington, TSN
ABOUT THE SUNS (26-39): Phoenix is getting healthy with Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes both rejoining the team in the last week after recovering from the coronavirus and clearing quarantine. Rubio played well in the team's final scrimmage and Ayton (19 points, 12 rebounds), Devin Booker (26.1 points) and Mikal Bridges (8.7 points)are all primed and ready to battle for the final playoff spot in the West. "We have a great base," Ayton told reporters of the team's performance in scrimmages. "We're not slowing down at all. We're starting off games pretty strong no matter how our offense is looking. We're playing defense. We're very active. Talking. Communicating."
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (24-40): Beal's absence will give rookie forward Rui Hachimura the opportunity to get up more shots and he led the team in scoring in each of Washington's three scrimmages. "He's played well," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters of Hachimura. "He's being aggressive when the moment gives him that opportunity. ... He's a very consistent pro at a young age and that's very rare." Forward Davis Bertans (15.4) opted out of the restart as well, leaving Hachimura (13.4 points) as the team's leading scorer.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns F Dario Saric (ankle) is questionable for Friday while F Kelly Oubre Jr. (knee) is unlikely to play.
2. Wizards G/F Isaac Bonga averaged 17.7 minutes before the shutdown but took on an expanded role during the scrimmages.
3. Washington earned a 140-132 victory at Phoenix on Nov. 27 behind 35 points from Beal.