Beal amassed 18 points (8-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 115-110 loss to the Magic.
It was a strong effort out of Beal, who has now scored at least 15 points in eight of his last nine games. In five appearances with Kevin Durant (ankle) unavailable this season, Beal is now averaging 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers per contest. Beal should continue to have more ball-handling responsibilities on his plate while Durant remains sidelined, and the 31-year-old star guard has a favorable matchup Friday against a Jazz club that ranks 28th in the league in defensive efficiency rating (117.9).