The Phoenix Suns will be without several key players for Sunday’s preseason game against the Denver Nuggets, including Devin Booker (right ankle soreness), Kevin Durant (rest) and Bradley Beal (rest).

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Saturday that Booker, Jusuf Nurkic (left middle finger), Grayson Allen (Achilles tendon soreness) and Josh Okogie (hamstring strain) would be out. Additionally, Tyus Jones will also rest.

“Tomorrow some of these other guys are going to get opportunities, and even last night it’s a bright spot that there are guys that are hurt,” Budenholzer said Saturday.

Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said there was “no reason to push Devin Booker to play in Friday’s preseason game against Detroit”: pic.twitter.com/Vzi4ZvRJS5

– Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 12, 2024

“I mean, it’s preseason. There’s just no reason to put pressure on your ankle in general,” Budenholzer said of Booker after Friday’s game following the Suns’ preseason loss to the Detroit Pistons. “I think he’ll be fine.”

Booker also missed Friday’s game against the Pistons because of soreness in his right ankle. Booker played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s preseason win over the Pistons in East Lansing and 14 minutes in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. Booker averaged 11.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and three assists in the preseason.

Beal and Durant both played in all three of the Suns’ first preseason games before Sunday.

Nurkic hasn’t played in the preseason yet, but he’s getting closer to a return.

“He’s making good progress,” Budenholzer said Saturday about Nurkic’s status. “We have a good feeling about it. He won’t play tomorrow but we are happy with his progress.”

Allen will be absent for the third straight preseason game. He missed Tuesday’s preseason win in Detroit for personal reasons (his wife is expecting the birth of their first child) but is now dealing with an Achilles tendon problem.

Okogie left Friday’s game in the third quarter with “hamstring tightness” and did not return. In three preseason games, Okogie averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and one steal in 14.3 minutes.

“I think we’ll look at it and evaluate it,” Budenholzer said of Okogie after Friday’s loss. “I think there’s just some hamstring awareness, hamstring tightness, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow morning.”

The Suns will play two more preseason games, an away game on Sunday against the Nuggets, before the preseason finale at home against the Lakers on Thursday.

The regular season begins on October 23rd when the Suns travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

Sunday’s game against the Nuggets kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports App.

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