Nurkic produced 20 points (6-8 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 18 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal in 33 minutes during Wednesday's 115-112 win over the Heat.
Nurkic was excellent Wednesday, connecting on multiple three-pointers for the first time this season while compiling season highs in points and rebounds. The performance was just Nurkic's third double-double of the campaign, but he's averaging 10.5 points and 10.6 rebounds across 24.4 minutes per game on the year. He's grabbed at least 15 rebounds in three straight contests.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Double-double against Sixers
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Nurkic recorded 15 points (5-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 15 rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals over 28 minutes during Monday's 118-116 victory over the 76ers.
With Joel Embiid (knee) still sidelined for the Sixers, the 30-year-old center dominated the glass. The double-double was only the second of the season for Nurkic in seven games, as his production has been somewhat feast or famine -- he's pulled down 15 boards in each of the last two games but managed only seven in total over the prior two contests.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Plays just 15 minutes
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Nurkic contributed two points (1-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 0-1 FT), four rebounds and two blocks over 15 minutes during Monday's 109-105 victory over the Lakers.
Nurkic had a nightmare outing Monday, and the Suns struggled mightily whenever he was on the floor. Mason Plumlee played 26 minutes as a result, and this could be a worrying trend to monitor for Nurkic's fantasy managers moving forward.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Stands out with double-double
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Nurkic finished with 18 points (7-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-8 FT), 14 rebounds, one assist and one block over 30 minutes during Saturday's 114-102 victory over the Mavericks.
Nurkic enjoyed a bigger offensive role Saturday due to the absence of Bradley Beal (elbow), and that was noticeable in how involved he was as a scoring option. Nurkic attempted 12 shots in this win after totaling 10 field goals over his first two contests. Nurkic has scored in double digits while grabbing at least nine rebounds in two of his first three appearances this season.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Steady under the basket in loss
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Nurkic generated 15 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal across 17 minutes in Thursday's 128-122 loss to the Lakers.
Nurkic was matched in minutes with Mason Plumlee, who recorded more rebounds during the loss. Despite Plumlee's increased involvement, Nurkic is in no immediate danger of losing his job, but he may get a little more rest in the opening weeks of the regular season as his finger continues to heal.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Gets start Thursday
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Nurkic is in the starting lineup for Thursday's preseason game against the Lakers.
Not only will Nurkic be available, but he'll also be in the starting lineup alongside what figures to be the regular first unit for Phoenix once the regular season begins. He'll play alongside Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Tyus Jones. Nurkic averaged 10.9 points and 11.0 rebounds per game across 76 regular-season contests in 2023-24.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Will be available Thursday
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Nurkic (finger) will be available for Thursday's preseason finale against the Lakers, Amanda Pflugrad of 3TV Phoenix reports.
This is unsurprising, as all signs pointed to Nurkic being available for this contest. This will be the big man's preseason debut after he dealt with a minor finger injury to begin training camp. Nurkic figures to open the 2024-25 season as the Suns' starting center, but his nightly duties may be different under new head coach Mike Budenholzer.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: On track for Thursday
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Nurkic (finger) plans to return to action in Thursday's preseason finale against the Lakers, Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports.
Nurkic has yet to play in the preseason as he recovers from a left finger injury, but Phoenix's starting big appears to be near full health. Nurkic is right-handed, so any lingering limitations from his finger injury would have minimal impact on his shooting.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Still absent from practice
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Coach Mike Budenholzer said Tuesday that Nurkic (finger) has yet to do any contact practice and is working on his conditioning, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Nurkic hasn't seen any action this preseason due to a left middle finger injury. While Nurkic will almost certainly miss Phoenix's preseason finale against the Lakers on Thursday, his availability to begin the regular season is uncertain.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Out against Denver
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Nurkic (finger) won't play in Sunday's preseason game versus the Nuggets, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Nurkic has yet to suit up this preseason while dealing with a left middle finger injury. While it's unclear if Nurkic will be good to go for the beginning of the regular season, his next chance to suit up will be Thursday's preseason matchup with the Lakers.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Out Friday, remains day-to-day
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Nurkic (finger) is viewed as day-to-day, Amanda Pflugrad of 3TV Phoenix reports.
Nurkic is reportedly doing well in his recovery, but the plan is for the team to continue monitoring him going forward. The big man has yet to suit up for either of the Suns' first two preseason contests due to the injury. When healthy, he is slated to anchor the Suns' frontcourt this season.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Out at least a week
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The Suns announced Saturday that Nurkic won't play in Sunday's preseason opener against the Lakers due to a left middle finger injury and will be re-evaluated in one week, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Nurkic's finger injury will keep him out of Phoenix's preseason opener. However, there is no indication that the 30-year-old big man will be forced to miss any regular-season action.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Working on three-point stroke
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Nurkic has been working on his three-point stroke this summer, Evan Sidery of Forbes.com reports.
It's late July, so we've hit the "big man expanding his range" portion of the news cycle. For what it's worth, Nurkic did drill a respectable 36.1 percent of his 119 three-point attempts during his 2022-23 campaign in Portland, but he saw a regression to the mean last season, converting just 24.4 percent of his long balls in Phoenix during the regular season. Throughout his 10 years of professional experience, Nurkic has gone 97 of 347 from distance, so we wouldn't expect him to suddenly become a lethal shooter from the perimeter, but he will need to shoot competently from beyond the arc to function in Mike Budenholzer's system. Don't be surprised if the 30-year-old Bosnian sees fewer minutes with a new coach in town.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Nearly double-doubles
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Nurkic provided nine points (3-5 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals over 20 minutes during Sunday's 122-116 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Nurkic was very inconsistent in the first round against the Timberwolves, which was the case for most of the team, to be fair. Overall, Nurkic had a solid regular season campaign for Phoenix, averaging 10.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals. Nurkic will remain under contract for two more seasons.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Double-doubles in loss
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Nurkic finished with 10 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-2 FT), 14 rebounds and four assists over 31 minutes during Tuesday's 105-93 loss to Minnesota in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Nurkic grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with 10 points, tallying his first double-double of the series. While he was more involved, the Suns still came up short, falling behind 2-0 in the series. Game 3 will be in Phoenix on Friday, where Nurkic will look to be even more of a force on the interior against the size of the Timberwolves.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Dishes season-high 10 dimes
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Nurkic notched three points (1-1 FG, 1-2 FT), 19 rebounds, 10 assists and one block across 30 minutes during Wednesday's 124-108 victory over the Clippers.
Nurkic returned after missing Tuesday's game against the Clippers due to a sprained right ankle. He ended this rematch with just a trio of points, though still recorded a double-double while leading all players in Wednesday's outing in rebounds and assists. Nurkic set a new season high in assists while posting his eighth game with 18 or more boards this year.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Not on injury report for Wednesday
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Nurkic (ankle) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Clippers, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports.
Nurkic missed Tuesday's game against the Clippers due to a sprained right ankle, but he'll be back in action for the second half of the back-to-back set. Over his last five appearances, he's averaged 8.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Ruled out Tuesday
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Nurkic (ankle) is out for Tuesday's game against the Clippers, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Nurkic was initially listed as questionable due to a right ankle sprain, and the Suns will not risk him with the playoffs right around the corner. However, his loss could be troublesome, as the Suns have gone 1-4 without Nurkic this season. Expect Drew Eubanks to start in his place.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Dealing with ankle sprain
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Nurkic is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Clippers due to a right ankle sprain.
Nurkic logged 31 minutes in Sunday's 113-105 loss to New Orleans, and though no reports emerged during the game that he was nagged by any sort of injury, hsi status will now need to be monitored in advance of Tuesday's contest. Tuesday also marks the beginning of a back-to-back set for the Suns, with a rematch versus the Clippers on deck Wednesday. The Suns have posted a 1-4 record without Nurkic this season.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Will play Friday
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Nurkic (calf) will play Friday against the Timberwolves.
Nurkic will shed his questionable tag to suit up against Rudy Gobert. Nurkic is averaging 8.4 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists over his last 10 games.
