The Phoenix Suns will be without Jordan Goodwin when they face the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, taking a hit to the kind of work that doesn’t always show up in the box score but absolutely shows up in a game.
Suns coach Jordan Ott kept the door open right up until game time, calling Goodwin a “game-time decision” in his pre-game press conference. But the guard never got to the point where he was cleared to play, and Phoenix officially ruled him out.
Goodwin entered the night listed as questionable because of right calf soreness, an issue he picked up in Monday night’s loss in Golden State. He now joins Rasheer Fleming and Mark Williams on the Suns’ injury list for tonight.
Portland has its own absences to deal with, with Ja Morant sidelined by a left hamstring injury and Shaedon Sharpe out after right meniscus surgery.
Suns-Blazers is scheduled to tip just past 7:00 pm MST at Mortgage Matchup Center.
For Phoenix, losing Goodwin matters because of the little things he brings: offensive rebounding, chasing loose balls and all the gritty possessions that can swing a night. That edge has been part of his value for the Suns, especially off the bench, where he has often helped provide the spark.
The timing isn’t ideal for a team trying to get itself moving. Phoenix is 1-4 and still searching for a full four quarters of clean basketball. The Suns haven’t put together the kind of complete effort they need, and that has shown up in the standings.
Earlier today at shootaround, Suns center Oso Ighodaro pointed to communication as a major fix.
“We’ve got to be on one page at all times, and making sure we’re constantly talking, communicating through those moments,” Suns center Oso Ighodaro told reporters earlier today at shootaround (h/t Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic).
“Like, when we start assuming what each other is doing? Those teams that have been together.
The Nuggets. Been together for a long time.
They know exactly what they’re doing. I feel like we’ve got to overcommunicate in those times.
It’s got to be better.”
Phoenix will also be trying to clean up the glass after getting hammered on the boards by Portland in the season opener, when the Trail Blazers held a 56-39 rebounding advantage. That’s the kind of gap the Suns can’t afford again, especially with Goodwin unavailable to help in the scramble possessions that tend to decide those battles.
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