Bradley Beal News: Struggles mightily in return

Beal (hamstring) finished with one point (0-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block across 30 minutes Friday in the Suns' 123-103 loss to the Celtics.

Cleared to play after missing the last eight games due to a left hamstring strain, Beal took back a spot in the starting five and wasn't under any obvious restrictions, as he finished third on the Suns in playing time behind Devin Booker (38 minutes) and Oso Ighodaro (32 minutes). Though Beal came through with some unusually strong contributions in the defensive categories, he didn't provide much support for Booker, as he failed to make a shot while finishing a team-worst minus-23 during his time on the court. Better days are ahead for Beal, but some inconsistency in his performance should be expected over the next few games as he settles back in following the injury.