Injury Update: Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic both questionable ahead of clash with Nuggets.

Jusuf Nurkic was injured in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game in San Antonio, compounding an already difficult night. He had 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots before leaving the game after injuring his ankle on Jeremy Sochan’s. Then, with the Phoenix Suns behind 99-97 and 2:51 remaining in the game, Bradley Beal jammed his right ring finger while defending a shot.

It was photographed by Jeremy Sochan.

“It hurt like hell,” Bradley Beal admitted following the 104-102 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He was diagnosed with a right ring finger sprain. “Caught in a weird, funky way, I think in somebody’s jersey.”

Bradley Beal has been repeatedly bitten, stabbed, and stung by the injury bug this season. He’s appeared in 43 of the Suns’ 72 games this season, despite suffering from back, hamstring, nose, and ankle injuries. Add “finger” to the list.

Jusuf Nurkic is as near to an Iron Man as he has ever been in his career. He’s missed only four games this season. What games have he missed? The Suns are 0-4.

He did not practice today, but both he and Brad Beal are listed as “questionable” as the team flew to the Mile High City to face Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

The reigning NBA Champions are currently in first place in the Western Conference at 51-21.

Phoenix is embarking on the toughest 10-game stretch to close a season since the 2015-16 Memphis Grizzlies. That team went 1-9 to end their season. If the Suns are missing both Beal and Nurkic, things could get ugly for Phoenix rather quickly. The depth behind Nurkic is…scarce. For everything that Nurkic isn’t, his reliability, intensity, and “give a shit” attitude is rare on this Suns team.

For those who are anti-Nurk, still daydreaming of center’s past, you will learn what this team is without him. And that could be a nightmare.