Is Bradley Beal playing tonight against Portland? Latest on Suns guard's availability (Dec.15)

The Phoenix Suns have been up and down this season. They've looked like a championship contender at times, and they've dropped some games they were supposed to win as well.

The same goes for Bradley Beal, who has been in and out of the lineup with multiple ailments this season, including their latest game vs. the Utah Jazz.

The former Washington Wizards star has sustained countless injuries dating back to his days in the nation's capital, so it's not unusual to see his name popping out in the injury report.

Even so, the fact that he was a late scratch ahead of the team's last game left the fans wondering whether this would be a worrisome issue, or if he would get back on the court soon.

What happened to Bradley Beal?

According to Suns beat writer Duane Rankin, Beal is ruled out for the game after being listed as day-to-day because of right knee swelling. That was the same injury the team reported when they ruled him out of the 134-126 win over the Jazz.

He was earlier questionable to face the 8-17 Portland Trail Blazers, but was sidelined from the game later. He did partake in a shootaround early on Saturday, but with no shootaround scheduled on Sunday and the team decided to have him as a game-time decision.

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer claimed that the former All-Star started feeling discomfort early on Thursday. The team, however, didn't include him on the injury report until Friday.

The Suns just snapped a three-game losing streak, and they're 4-5 without him this season after going 16-13 without him last year.

Bradley Beal's season so far

As expected, Bradley Beal has been the team's third-most important player. He's averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 49/36/80 shooting splits.

Now, with Tyus Jones leading the way, he hasn't had to be a primary shot-creator and facilitator as he did last season, spending more time in his natural role and playing off the ball.

Beal's scoring averages have dropped from 18.2 last season, and he's posting his lowest numbers since his age-22 season back in 2015-16, when he averaged 17.4 points per game.

The Suns need him on the floor next to Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, providing another scoring option for their offensive juggernaut. He's not the All-Star-caliber shooting guard he used to be, but can still give them a throwback performance every now and then.