Magic guard Jalen Suggs could return from ankle injury vs. Thunder
Orlando Magic second-year guard Jalen Suggs could return from an ankle injury Tuesday against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
Suggs was upgraded to questionable on the team’s Monday evening injury report after being sidelined for the last five games. He hasn’t played since spraining his right ankle on a drive to the basket during the third quarter of the Magic’s loss to the Hawks on Oct. 21 in Atlanta. He also landed awkwardly on his right leg after being fouled on the drive.
Cole Anthony (torn right internal oblique), Markelle Fultz (fractured left big toe), Gary Harris (left knee injury recovery) and Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury recovery) and Moe Wagner (sprained right midfoot) remain sidelined.
Anthony’s injury was reclassified after originally being listed as an injured right internal oblique.
Second-year Josh Giddey (sprained right ankle) and Chet Holmgren (right foot surgery — out for season), the No. 2 pick in June’s draft, are sidelined for the Thunder (3-3).
Suggs played in the Magic’s first two games, scoring 21 points (8-of-11 shooting, 4 of 6 on 3s) in 25 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter of the regular-season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Before suffering the ankle injury, Suggs wasn’t too far removed from a left knee injury — a capsule sprain and bone bruise — he suffered during the Magic’s preseason win over the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 7.
He missed the final two preseason games but was cleared for the regular-season opener.
Suggs, the No. 5 pick in 2021, had an up-and-down rookie season in part because of injuries that limited him to 48 games.
He was sidelined for 20 games from early December through mid-January after fracturing his right thumb and dealt with injuries to his right ankle that sidelined him for 13 of the final 18 games.
Suggs had surgery to address a stress fracture in his right ankle — the same one he injured 1 ½ weeks ago — early in the offseason, limiting how much he could participate in basketball activities over the summer.
The Magic (1-6), who are coming off a 114-105 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday, have been leaning on bigger lineups because of their injuries.
Franz Wagner, Terrence Ross, Paolo Banchero, Bol Bol and Wendell Carter Jr. have been the starters the last two games, including the first win over the Charlotte Hornets Friday at Amway Center.
That quintet has a net rating (a team’s point differential per 100 possessions) of plus-47.7 (133.8 offensive rating, 86.2 defensive rating) in a small sample of 32 minutes played in three games. It’s the second-best net rating for a lineup that’s played at least 30 minutes.
Tuesday’s game, which will tip off at 8 p.m., was added to Bally Sports’ schedule after previously being selected as a national exclusive to TNT. It can be watched on Bally Sports Florida/Bally Sports+ or listened to on FM 96.9 The Game.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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