Why is Bradley Beal wearing mask vs Magic? Reason behind Suns guard's move explained

Phoenix Suns star guard Bradley Beal has been listed as available in tonight's game against the Orlando Magic. During warmups, Beal was seen with a protective mask ahead of their bout against the Magic as he suffered a nasal fracture during the Suns' loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

Beal is under concussion protocol tonight after getting hit with an elbow by the Pacers center Myles Turner. The Suns guard attempted to take a charge against Turner when he was hit on the nose with the center's left elbow. He was shortly escorted to the locker room during the game.

Beal returned to the court and finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Back in 2016, Beal suffered a concussion when he had a collision with Marcus Smart, who was playing for the Boston Celtics at that time. He broke his nose and missed one game.

Watch the video below to see his crash against Turner.

You might also be interested in reading this: Phoenix Suns Injury Report: Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic’s status revealed

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Bradley Beal talked about his collision with Turner

The Suns were on a seven-game win streak before their 133-131 loss against Indiana. During that stretch, Beal was a significant factor in their success, but his injury caused a major concern for the team.

His desire to play for the team outweighed what he suffered on the court, however. Beal returned to action, but that wasn't enough for them to win. After the game, the three-time All-Star was asked about his decision to return to the court.

"Probably hardheaded a little bit. I was able to just run up and down. I didn’t feel any concussion-like symptoms or anything. I just can’t breathe out of my nose. Blood just keeps coming down, but as long as I can just get up and down, I was cool. I was going to try to fight it out," Beal said (h/t Sports Illustrated).

Kevin Durant shared his concern about the injury after the game and appreciated Beal's efforts to play again.

"I knew he was going to try to come back and play. I was right there. It was a bad hit, a bad hit," Durant said (via The Arizona Republic).

Beal has been a positive force on the offensive end for the team. He's slowly making up for the games he missed during the early stages of the season. The guard has played 15 straight games, averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

With his presence, Phoenix has gradually improved their record and is slightly out of the Play-In picture.