00:00Welcome back Suns fans. With the season hanging by a thread and a hostile environment awaiting
00:05in Game 4 on Monday, the injury report is once again shaping the storyline. Let's walk through
00:10exactly where things stand, piece by piece as Phoenix prepares to fight off elimination.
00:16Suns guard Jordan Goodwin will likely be listed as questionable for Game 4 because of a left calf
00:22issue. Head coach Jordan Ott told reporters Sunday, Goodwin was ruled out for the second
00:27and third games of this first-round playoff series after the injury first flared up just
00:32five minutes into his Game 1 start, a night in which he scored two points on one of four shooting.
00:37His defensive intensity has been noticeably absent with Phoenix. On the brink of elimination against
00:42the reigning NBA champion, over the course of 70 regular season games, Goodwin came off the bench
00:47in all but 10 of them and averaged 4.9 rebounds, along with 1.5 steals per contest. When the
00:54season
00:55was on the line in the second play-in game, he delivered 9 rebounds, 6 steals, and 19 points
01:01on 7 of 11 shooting to help the Suns get past the Golden State Warriors. Elsewhere on the injury front,
01:07Mark Williams, Phoenix's starting center for 55 regular season games, will remain out as he
01:12continues to battle a left foot injury. Ott said, Williams has been absent from the last four Suns games,
01:18dating back to the play-in game against the Warriors on April 17th.
01:22He did play 22 minutes in the first play-in contest, against the Portland Trail Blazers.
01:28The matchup that decided the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket,
01:32the 7'1", 240-pound big man, originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2022,
01:38has appeared in a career most 60 games this season despite nearly missing all of March,
01:43because of a left foot stress reaction. Meanwhile, sharpshooter Grayson Allen returned
01:48to action in Game 3 on Saturday after dealing with a left hamstring injury, scoring 7 points,
01:54including 2-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. In 17 minutes off the bench, he had been available
02:00for every game dating back to the first play-in game on April 14th but did not get on the
02:05floor.
02:05For maybe one or two of the games, I was close to being ready, Allen told reporters Sunday,
02:12I think it was a unique situation but at this time of the year even if you're 1%, 2%
02:17scenario of
02:18playing happening, being available just in case was important. It felt good to get back out there
02:24and play. Playoff basketball is different, a lot of fun, so I was happy I was able to contribute a
02:30little bit last game. Allen added that he liked what he saw on tape from his overall movement,
02:35especially when moving at high speeds, the kind of explosive motion that hamstring injuries tend
02:40to affect the most, so with Goodwin's defensive spark likely limited and Williams still sidelined,
02:46while Allen works his way back to full rhythm, what gives you the most confidence that this
02:50group can extend the series?
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