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Deandre Ayton (knee) 'very close,' but one of many Blazers out vs. Suns; Bol Bol (foot) also out

duane rankin, arizona republic
·5 min read

PORTLAND – Blazers' big Deandre Ayton has been ruled out after previously being listed as questionable with right knee tendinitis for Sunday's final regular season matchup with the Suns.

The former Suns' center hasn’t played since Dec. 23 at Golden State. This will be the 11th consecutive game he'll miss with one of those being New Year’s Day at Phoenix to begin a seven-game road trip.

“He's very close,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said about Ayton. "He's been getting on the court. (Monday) was going to be a big day cause hopefully he was going to practice. We'll see how many people we even have who are able to practice."

The Blazers are down Jerami Grant and Matisse Thybulle (illness), Malcolm Brogdon (adductor soreness), Ibou Badji (hip), Moses Brown (wrist fracture), Shaedon Sharpe (adductor soreness), Robert Williams III (knee ligament tear) and Ayton (knee) for Sunday's game.

"I'm not concerned at all. He's been working really hard. He joined us on the trip. So you get to see him working and almost going twice a day a couple of times. I'm not concerned about DA. I know he's very close. Hopefully it's the next time out there.'"

Portland plays Brooklyn on Wednesday.

Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, center, battles for position with Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, left, and center Deandre Ayton, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, center, battles for position with Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, left, and center Deandre Ayton, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.

Ayton didn't play the entire road trip as the Blazers (10-28) are 3-7 in their last 10 games. They suffered a brutal 139-77 defeat at Oklahoma City to tie for the fifth-worst loss in NBA history.

Shaedon Sharpe (adductor soreness) is already ruled out for Sunday’s game while 7-footer Ibou Badji is listed as questionable for the Blazers.

Bol Bol is a late scratch for the Suns as he is now out Sunday with right foot soreness.

He wasn't on Phoenix's initial injury report released Saturday.

"After practice (Saturday), he reported some significant soreness in the right foot," Suns coach Frank Vogel said. "It's been an area of concern for him over the past. Just want to make sure there's nothing there. Will be re-evaluated (Monday)."

The 7-footer had just returned after missing two games with a right ankle sprain suffered against Miami. Bol posted six points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in Thursday's road win over the Lakers.

"Disappointing, but injuries are a part of it," Vogel said. "It's a marathon. So we want to be smart with all these type of flare ups, but he had been playing really good basketball. So we're disappointed not having him in there (Sunday night).

The Blazers are 1-1 against the Suns with Ayton in the lineup.

Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol (11) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol (11) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.

Portland lost, 120-107, Nov. 21 in Ayton’s first game in Phoenix since the three-team deal right before training camp that sent him to Portland, Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Jusuf Nurkic to the Suns. Ayton went for 18 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes in the In-Season Tournament group play game.

The Blazers won the rematch, 109-104, Dec. 19 in Portland as Ayton posted a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds in 40 minutes.

Ayton is averaging a career-low 13.1 points on 54.8% shooting to go along with 10.8 rebounds in just 24 games this season.

The top overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Arizona, Ayton averaged a double-double in his five seasons in Phoenix.

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) watches the final minutes of the game on the bench against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Nov 21, 2023.
Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) watches the final minutes of the game on the bench against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on Nov 21, 2023.

The Suns (20-18) are coming off a 127-109 victory Thursday night against the Lakers, having led by as many as 32 points.

Bradley Beal scored a season-high 37 points, hitting 8-of-10 from 3, and Devin Booker went for 31 with 16 coming in the first quarter.

Damion Lee was the only one listed on the Suns' initial injury report released Saturday. He's out with a knee injury he suffered during an on-court workout before training camp.

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Lee had surgery Oct. 11 on his right meniscus and hasn’t played this season.

Suns backup big Drew Eubanks is available for Sunday after he missed Thursday’s game due to illness.

This will conclude Phoenix’s three-game road trip. The Suns return home to face Sacramento (23-15) on Tuesday before going back on the road for a Friday matchup against New Orleans (24-16).

Phoenix is 0-2 against the Kings. The Suns will play them five times instead of the usual four from both being in the Pacific Division.

They drew an extra game after both lost in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.

The Suns have yet to play New Orleans. They have three games against the Pelicans this season with two being in New Orleans.

Have opinions about the 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: Deandre Ayton one of many Blazers out vs. Suns, Bol Bol (foot) also out