Suns' Bradley Beal to Return from Hamstring Injury vs. Celtics After 8-Game Absence

The Phoenix Suns are fighting for their postseason lives down the stretch of the 2024-25 campaign, and they will have some much-needed reinforcements for Friday's road game against the Boston Celtics.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer said Thursday that Bradley Beal is expected to take the court after missing the last eight games with a left hamstring strain, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.

Royce O'Neale is also expected to play after he missed Tuesday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks with an illness.

This comes after Beal said the fans had "every reason to be" annoyed that he had missed time because of injuries, per Rankin.

It is also all the more important since Kevin Durant is expected to miss at least the next two games because of a left ankle sprain. Durant was also sidelined for the loss to the Bucks on Tuesday.

"It's not ideal, obviously, it's not fun,” Beal said. "You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That's all I can do. I always preach about being available and that's something I'm definitely kicking myself about, but that's sometimes how the cookie crumbles.

"All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way."

Phoenix is 35-41 and one game behind the Sacramento Kings for the final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament with six regular-season games remaining.

For as frustrating as this season has been, the Suns can still turn things around with a strong finishing push to qualify for the postseason. The regular-season finale against the Kings could prove to be a win-and-in proposition.

Health has been an issue for the Suns throughout the season, but they are still a solid 19-18 when Durant, Beal and Devin Booker are all on the floor together. They could pose a threat for even the top teams come playoff time with that star power, but they have to make the postseason first.

That might require strong play from Beal, especially with Durant out, so it is a welcome development that he is set to reenter the lineup.