Bradley Beal looks to 'be smart moving forward' after tweaking back again in Phoenix Suns loss to OKC
Phoenix Suns' star guard Bradley Beal could’ve probably sat the second half after tweaking his back again in the first half of Sunday’s 111-99 loss to Oklahoma City (6-4), but he didn’t.
“There were questions about whether he was going to return and he toughed it out,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “The guy wants to be in there. He’s a warrior playing through injury and you got to commend him for that.”
That decision has Beal second guessing his call and looking to “be smart moving forward” with an issue that kept him out the first seven games of the regular season.
“That’s where I kick myself a little bit because if I’m not going to be useful to the team, which I probably wasn’t as much in the second half, then I shouldn’t of damn then been out there, but that’s just me being hard headed and me just wanting to contribute anyway I can,” Beal said. “I definitely got to smart moving forward and just being smart and understanding there are other guys who can probably impact the game at much higher level if I’m not able to do so.”
Scoring 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, Beal said he isn’t looking to sit out again due to the injury as the Suns (4-6) face the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves (7-2), winners of their last six games, Wednesday at Footprint Center to conclude a three-game homestand.
"It's a little tight. It was a little tight all night. Affected me a little but, but I can't use it as an excuse. I was out there. I elected to be out there."
Bradley Beal on back. Rethinks playing 2nd half after tweak in 1st.
Asked if he should sit a game: "I hope not." #Suns pic.twitter.com/CAl4teJYml— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 13, 2023
“We’ve been trending in the right direction,” Beal said. “This is probably the first day we’ve had, I don’t want to say a setback, but where it’s gotten tight throughout the course of a game. It’s just evaluating that seeing how; recovery is always the biggest question. How I feel afterward. See how I feel (Sunday night), in the morning and hopefully I don’t feel like I got hit by a bus and I’ll be good to go come Wednesday.”
Beal made his Suns debut in last Wednesday’s overtime win at Chicago. On a minute restriction, he scored 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting, going 3-of-6 from 3, but Beal didn’t play in the overtime.
Playing 24 minutes, it was predetermined he wouldn’t if it went there. Beal was frustrated with the minute restriction, but he understood the precautions that were being taken with his back.
The three-time All-Star made his home debut Friday against the Lakers and looked much better in scoring 24 points with 20 coming in the first half.
Beal said after the game his back felt “really good” as he played 31 minutes, which was likely over his minute range.
Then on Sunday, Beal tweaked his back again and was visibly in pain and limited throughout the game.
“It’s a little tight,” Beal said after the game. “It was a little tight all night. Affected me a little bit, but I can’t use that as an excuse. I was out there. I elected to be out there. I didn’t bring it the way I should’ve, but it’s definitely tight.”
There was one point late in the first half when Beal was leaning on the scorer's table and Vogel went over to him with some comforting words.
It appeared the back was bothering him then, but Beal said there was more going on during that time.
“It was a little bit of everything,” Beal said. “I think I may have just sprinted down the floor in a closeout in the corner. I winched a little bit, but I’m out there so I’m going to push through. It was just tight. It wasn’t like a certain play or a certain movement. It was just constant throughout the game.”
Beal said he felt the pain was a “buildup” from the course of the game. He played 15 minutes in each half, but only made one shot in the second half on 10 attempts.
Bradley Beal had his back wrapped and had it taken off before he took the court for 2nd half.
Could he have been tired? Yes. It'd just his 3rd game back.
But he'd coming off a back injury.
So he could be fine, but his back has been an issue.
That's why I said appears. #Suns https://t.co/QcsOmwdJmC pic.twitter.com/8bOBQwTEnU— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 13, 2023
'It doesn't get any easier'
Beal was making moves on the floor, but he wasn’t getting the usual lift on his jump shot. He fell on his back multiple times trying to take charges and after shot attempts.
“He looked fine to me, but he knows his body,” Suns superstar Kevin Durant said. “Felt like he was moving well the last few games. Hopefully, it gets better. We got a couple of days off before our next game. Hopefully it gets better by then.”
Averaging 17.3 points on 38.3% shooting this season, Beal accounted for Phoenix’s last field goal Sunday, a midrange jumper, that pulled the Suns within a point 94-93, with 6:42 left in the game.
The Suns shot a hazardous 2-of-21 from the field in the fourth quarter, going 1-of-8 on 3s. Beal took some ownership for another fourth meltdown early in the season.
“I got to be better,” Beal said. “I got to be a lot better. I think we all do, but I think being more aggressive, especially offensively, everybody. I think a lot of times, we get slowed down and run (the offense) through (Durant) and that’s great, but we’ve got to give him better opportunities with some advantages, and we need everybody to be aggressive because that’s when we’re at our best."
The Suns were outscored, 31-13, in the fourth as Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander churned out 14 of his game-high 35 points in the money quarter on 4-of-4 shooting (5-of-6 from the line).
"I think it’s just getting back to that defensively, giving more effort,” Beal continued. “We know there are a lot of tough guards, tough assignment that we have and that we’re going to have. It doesn’t get any easier. I think it’s just challenging each other. We’re a target. Every single night, this is how it’s going to be. Nobody is down. Yeah, we’re pissed off about not winning, but it’s good energy and motivation moving forward.”
Beal joined Phoenix in an offseason trade from Washington that sent Chris Paul to the Wizards, who later moved him to Golden State and got Jordan Poole in return.
The Suns traded four first-round pick swaps (2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030), six second-round picks (2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2030), Landry Shamet and Paul to the Wizards for Isaiah Todd, Jordan Goodwin and Beal.
Phoenix later traded Todd and two first-round pick swaps (2024 and 2030) to Memphis for three second-round picks.
Spending his first 11 seasons with the Wizards, Beal only played 50 games last season and a career-low 40 in the 2021-22 season. The second all-time leading scorer in Wizards franchise history, Beal last played more than 60 games in the 2018-19 season when seeing action in all 82 in the regular season.
Beal is in the second year of a five-year supermax deal of $251 million.
The 30-year-old only played two preseason games this year as the Suns listed him as having a range between low back tightness and low back spasms. Beal wore a back brace after Sunday’s practice that NBA players often use during timeouts and while sitting on the bench to keep the back stable and loose.
Have opinions about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bradley Beal looks to 'be smart moving forward' after tweaking back in Phoenix Suns loss
