After being the centerpiece of the return package from the Houston Rockets for Kevin Durant in a blockbuster seven-team trade last July, Jalen Green experienced the Phoenix Suns’ successful first half mostly as a spectator while patiently waiting for his strained right hamstring to heal.
Limited to two games after initially getting hurt in preseason, Green is listed as questionable and could return Monday when the Suns visit the Brooklyn Nets in the fourth game of a six-game road trip.
Green played in 192 straight games, including playoffs, with Houston before getting hurt in preseason when the Suns were facing the Nets in China. He played in all 82 games each of the past two seasons.
The fifth-year guard did not make his regular-season debut with Phoenix until he scored 29 points in a 115-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6. However, Green exited in the first quarter with the injury in a 114-103 win over the Clippers two days later.
At the time of the second injury, the Suns said he would be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, and on Dec. 22, the team said he would be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.
“Another guy who will be helpful for us to get downhill,” Suns guard Grayson Allen told reporters. “Put some pressure on the paint, get to the rim. Just another guy who can create his own shot, create advantages for other people. Make tough shots. Draw two defenders. He’s a big-time scorer. So, he’ll help a lot.”
The Suns are 23-17 without Green and are on a 10-4 run since a three-point loss to Golden State on Dec. 20.
The latest victory occurred Saturday when Phoenix avoided a third straight loss with a 106-99 win over the New York Knicks. Devin Booker scored 27 after sitting out Thursday’s three-point setback in Detroit with a sore left ankle after spraining the ankle two nights earlier in Miami. Booker is questionable for Monday’s game.
“He’s been licking his chops getting ready for this moment. I think we’ve overdone it with keeping him out,” Booker said about Green. “He’s going to be healthy and strong and ready to go.”
The streaky Nets are 2-9 in their past 11 games after winning seven of their previous 10 games. They struggled throughout a 124-102 loss to the host Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
The Nets never led after the opening minutes, trailed by as many as 27 and also allowed a season-high 20 3-pointers to the Bulls, who shot 43.5% from long distance and 52.1% from the field.
“I don’t think we played hard consistently,” Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We tried at times and our purpose was not there, and that’s the battle that we need to fight.”
Michael Porter Jr. was rested on the front end of a back-to-back but likely will return Monday after the Nets dropped to 0-8 this season without him. Rookie Nolan Traore led the Nets with a career-high 16 points while first-year forward Danny Wolf started for Porter and added 14. But Noah Clowney and rookie Egor Demin get held to a combined 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting.
Besides Porter, the Nets will likely get guard Drake Powell back after the rookie sat out to manage a left knee injury following three straight games in the starting lineup.
Cam Thomas likely will sit on the second night of a back-to-back to manage his hamstring as the guard missed nearly two months with the injury before returning Dec. 27.
