Suns' Grayson Allen pushes through hamstring injury against Thunder
Grayson Allen is fighting through it.
After missing the last two weeks with a hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen made his return to the court in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder .
With 3:29 left in the first quarter on Saturday, April 25, of the Western Conference playoff game, Allen was subbed in for Jalen Green . It was the first time that Allen had played since April 10.
Allen finished with seven points and one assist in 17 minutes of action.
“It felt good to be back out there,” Allen said. “Playing basketball is a lot of fun. I was happy I was able to go.”
It is clear that Allen isn’t 100% healthy, evident by the lack of jump in his jumpshot. Allen was seen with a slight limp leaving the locker room in the bowels of Mortgage Matchup Center following the 121-109 loss to fall behind 0-3 in the series.
Allen, who has been featured in the starting rotation at different points this season, averaging 16.5 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, had been available on the bench for the past three games against the Thunder, but did not see any playing time to start the series.
Allen said he feels “pretty good” when asked about his physical health. He declined to put a percentage number to it and didn’t want to talk much about the hamstring.
His teammates were grateful for the effort from a visibly hobbled Allen.
“That’s love,” said Green, who scored 26 points. “We appreciate him, him doing that. He came in and hit some big shots for us. Obviously, we want him to be healthy, but he knows how important this is for the whole team, organization. He’s putting everything on the line.”
Forward Oso Ighodaro , seeing extended playing time due to Mark Williams ’ injury, had a near career game, with 15 points, four assists and three rebounds. The 15 points are the second-most for Ighodaro — a local product from Phoenix Desert Vista — in his career.
Ighodaro echoed Green’s appreciation, as it’s all hands on deck with the season on the line and staring at elimination. Game 4 is Monday, April 27, at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“We really appreciate it,” Ighodaro said. “We need everybody. He’s been trying the last three games, even just being available on the bench has meant a lot. He went out there, was really confident, shot the ball well, was really aggressive. That’s what we need from him. We appreciate every minute that he can give us.”
While Allen didn’t light up the box score, his presence impacted the game for the Suns.
“Just having him out there, you can feel it instantly,” coach Jordan Ott said. “The quality of shots that we get on the offensive end with him. His gravity, his ability to put the ball on the floor. That’s what we’re going to need more of. Whether it’s starting or the bench, we just need one more point than that other team, however that comes.”
Game 3 was the best effort yet for the Suns after being blown out in the series opener and then making a late run in Game 2 to lose by 13.
Phoenix led a few runs in the game, and even outscored Oklahoma City 26-25 in the third quarter. But each time the Suns cut into a lead, the Thunder responded with a boom. Run after run, the Thunder kept the Suns at bay.
Oklahoma City ended the first quarter on an 18-4 run and the second quarter on a 12-2 run.
“Just limit some of those spurts that they’ve gone on in the last few games,” Allen said. “I feel like we’re playing pretty well with them, then they just have a run here and there, get their six, eight-point lead and then make that lead 15. Try to minimize those little runs that they have. We did a pretty good job offensively today, moving the ball, finding 3s, finding shooters off of closeouts. Continue to do that.”
The team played a must-win game at home in the NBA Play-In Tournament against the 10th-place Golden State Warriors on April 17. This time, it's against the defending champions and No. 1 seed led by the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .
“Same thing. You can’t look forward,” Allen said. “We haven’t looked forward all season or all series, so it’s the same thing. We just gotta get a win Monday.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Grayson Allen pushing through injury for Phoenix Suns against Thunder
