The Phoenix Suns will finally get their three-headed star lineup of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back Tuesday when the Golden State Warriors come to town.
At 12-10, the Suns starting lineup largely weathered the storm without the All-Star guard they acquired from Washington during the offseason, posting a 10-9 record in the games the 30-year-old missed with a back injury.
Beal will appear in his first game since Nov. 7 tonight against the Warriors. Oddsmakers from ESPN BET Arizona list the Suns as a 3.5-point favorite with a -155 moneyline. To get a sense of where Phoenix ranks leaguewide when it comes to injuries, BetArizona.com broke down the numbers on how many games each NBA teams’ starting lineups have missed.
Most Games Missed By NBA Starters
The Suns championship odds are strong, fourth in the NBA at +700.
Suns Among Leaders in Games Missed
Thanks to Beal’s 19-game absence and fellow guard Devin Booker’s nine-game hiatus due to an injury of his own, the Suns currently rank third leaguewide when it comes to games missed at 34. Leaguewide, Phoenix trails Memphis, which is hamstrung by the suspension the NBA issued to superstar guard Ja Morant during the offseason, while Miami is the No. 2 team by games missed at 35.
To put Beal’s injury in perspective, according to Basketball-Reference.com, the Suns have missed out on roughly 18% of their starting five career win shares (52.2 out of the Suns’ total of 296.9), leaving an irreplaceable void in the heart of Phoenix’s rotation.
That starting five win share total ranks sixth leaguewide, behind Miami (311.6 win shares), Milwaukee (352.9 win shares), the L.A. Clippers (386.7 win shares), the L.A. Lakers (403.1 win shares) and the Warriors (446.1 win shares). Beal’s career win share total of 52.2 is higher than the starting rotations of three NBA franchises (San Antonio, Orlando and Detroit), while ranking slightly behind Oklahoma City’s total of 54.5.
Luckily for Phoenix and Arizona betting apps users, the franchise gets Beal back in full health in time for the team’s four-game homestand that runs through Dec. 17, with games against the Warriors, Brooklyn, New York and Washington — who are a combined 38-50 (.432) this year.
The combination of getting Beal back and the soft schedule over the next week should allow the Suns room to experiment with their rotation, helping Phoenix hit its stride ahead of the Christmas Day home showdown with Dallas.
