PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns are likely to be down two centers entering their home opener against the Golden State Warriors.
Typical starter Mark Williams (left shoulder surgery) is listed as out while backup Oso Ighodaro (right oblique strain) is now doubtful ahead of Saturday night's matchup. Williams is set to be out for an extended period of time while Ighodaro could potentially return soon.
Questionable for the Suns is guard Luke Kennard (left knee tendinopathy), who also carried a questionable tag entering their Wednesday season opener in Portland before being ruled out.
The Warriors are currently set to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night and do not have an injury report listed for Saturday, which will be the second night of a back-to-back for Golden State.
Suns-Warriors is set for a 7:00 PM tip at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Suns Looking to Rebound After Eye-Opening Loss
The Suns were easily handled by the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, which raised plenty of eye-brows in the desert. Phoenix didn't just lose, they were outplayed in nearly every facet.
"Today we addressed it head on. That's not us," Suns head coach Jordan Ott told reporters at practice on Friday (h/t Duane Rankin).
"We have a higher standard than that. It's up to us to hold each other accountable and then to move on to the next play. It snowballed. (Blazers) for sure. Our missed shots led to transition. They were in our paint. Calls that could've gone either way whether it was out of bounds or a foul called. We were in the penalty early and then we'd have opportunities and we didn't capitalized. Transition. Good looks and then before you know, it's 21-0."
The Suns, with Williams and Ighodaro out, will again rely on Khaman Maluach and Duop Reath to steady the ship at their center position.
Kennard's introduction to the rotation could be massive for the Suns in their hopes of avoiding another dismal three-point shooting performance, hitting just 19% of their shots from deep on Wednesday.
Keeping pace with Steph Curry and the Warriors will require a much better effort — will Kennard be ready? He practiced with Phoenix today and is "trending in the right direction" according to Rankin.
Even with a handful of injuries, the Suns have a prime opportunity to take advantage of a tired Warriors squad traveling from Memphis and put themselves back on course.
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