Nurkic logged six points (2-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals across 33 minutes during Friday's 110-89 win over the Grizzlies.
Nurkic failed to score in double digits for the second straight contest, but the big man has adjusted his game enough to remain relevant even when holding a secondary role on offense. His underrated ability to fill the stat sheet has been massive for the Suns, and the numbers back that up. Over his last five games, Nurkic is averaging 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Double-doubles against former team
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Nurkic produced 18 points (7-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, four blocks and one steal across 29 minutes during Tuesday's 120-107 win over the Trail Blazers.
Nurkic and Deandre Ayton faced off against their former teams Tuesday evening, and they fought to a virtual stalemate. Nurkic ended the evening with a slight rebound advantage over Ayton while logging his fifth double-double of the season. Nurkic also posted a season high with four blocked shots.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Double-doubles against Jazz
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Nurkic had 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 35 minutes during Sunday's 140-137 double-overtime win over Utah.
This was the fourth double-double of the season for Nurkic. He was in a slump coming into Sunday's game, so it's good to see him get back on track. In his previous three contests, he averaged just 7.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Minimal role in victory
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Nurkic contributed three points (1-3 FG, 1-1 3Pt), five rebounds and four assists across 24 minutes during Wednesday's 133-115 victory over Minnesota.
Nurkic struggled to score in his matchup with Rudy Gobert during Wednesday's win. Fortunately for the Suns, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker led the way with 31 points each. Nurkic has now recorded just three points in back-to-back contests.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Massive game against Bulls
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Nurkic totaled 20 points (8-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 17 rebounds, eight assists and two steals across 38 minutes during Wednesday's 116-115 overtime win over the Bulls.
Nurkic endured a slow start to his tenure in Phoenix but excelled Wednesday, posting season-high numbers in points, rebounds and assists as the Suns escaped with the win against Chicago. This was the first time Nurkic reached the 15-point mark in 2023-24, and while he's capable of putting up solid numbers regularly, this is likely to have been an outlier rather than anything else, since he's expected to hold a secondary role on offense in the future, especially now that Bradley Beal is back from injury.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Inefficiency continues
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Nurkic finished Saturday's 112-100 loss to Philadelphia with 11 points (4-14 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal across 23 minutes.
Nurkic operated in a far larger role Saturday after attempting just five shots Thursday. His involvement was a focal point for Phoenix amid absences for Devin Booker (foot) and Bradley Beal (back). Shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc through six games marks a distinct failure to capitalize on the enlarged opportunity, but compiling a 17:4 AST:TO ratio over his last four games is a silver lining indicative of the role that Nurkic can have when Phoenix is healthy.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Records double-double
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Nurkic provided 12 points (4-10 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in 30 minutes during Tuesday's 115-114 loss to the Spurs.
Nurkic struggled with the length of Victor Wembanyama and the physicality of Zach Collins, and that led to subpar shooting numbers. However, the big man still made his presence felt by grabbing double-digit boards and swatting multiple shots for the first time in 2023-24. Nurkic is not going to bring a ton on offense since the scheme is not designed for him, but he will remain valuable in fantasy if he can keep producing near the rim. He has two double-doubles in four outings.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Nabs double-double in debut
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Nurkic finished with 14 points (5-8 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-3 FT), 14 rebounds, three assists and one block in 28 minutes Wednesday in the Suns' 108-104 win over the Warriors.
One of the pieces returned to Phoenix in the blockbuster three-team trade in September that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, Nurkic settled in as the Suns' starting center in his team debut. While handling the role that used to belong to Deandre Ayton -- who was moved to Portland in that same three-team trade -- Nurkic led both teams in rebounds and turned in an efficient shooting performance from all three levels of the court. So long as he's healthy, Nurkic looks as though he'll continue to hold the playing-time edge over backup Drew Eubanks (19 minutes) at center, though injuries are an annual concern for the burly seven-foot, 290-pound Bosnian big man. Nurkic hasn't played more than 56 games in any of the past four seasons.
Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Starting final preseason contest
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Nurkic (rest) is in the starting lineup for Thursday's preseason matchup against the Lakers, Ryan Ward of LakersNation.com reports.
Nurkic gets the nod in the final game of the preseason for the Suns. The veteran is pretty much locked into the starting center role, with Drew Eubanks and Bol Bol competing for backup minutes.
Nurkic won't play in Monday's preseason game against Portland, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Nurkic put together a strong showing (17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 21 minutes) in his team's last preseason matchup Thursday, and the Suns will now give Drew Eubanks a look at center. Bol Bol and Chimezie Metu could also see extended minutes with Nurkic getting the night off.
Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Near double-double in preseason win
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Nurkic totaled 17 points (6-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot over 21 minutes versus Portland in a 122-111 preseason victory Thursday.
Nurkic's 21 minutes were par for the course for an exhibition contest, yet he finished with a full stat line that would be considered strong by regular-season standards. The big man was perhaps motivated by playing against his former team after Portland traded him to the Suns in an offseason deal that netted the Blazers Deandre Ayton, among others. Nurkic figures to see less usage with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal (back) alongside him in the starting lineup, though the center showed Thursday that he can still contribute in spite of the presence of his star teammates.
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Suns' Jusuf Nurkic: Perfect from charity stripe
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Nurkic posted 10 points (1-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 8-8 FT), four rebounds, two assists and a steal across 16 minutes in Tuesday's 115-107 preseason loss to the Nuggets.
While Nurkic's night didn't look impressive on paper, he successfully defended one of the league's best players. The former Trail Blazer was all over Nikola Jokic, providing the kind of defensive prowess needed inside after the departure of Deandre Ayton, who took Nurkic's place in Portland. Nurkic is slated to be the Suns' starting center, but newcomer Bol Bol could also carve out a role.
Nurkic finished Sunday's preseason win over Detroit with five points (2-4 FG, 1-3 FT), five rebounds and three assists in 15 minutes.
The Suns' starting five didn't see significant action, but it was nonetheless encouraging that Nurkic got the nod at center, as anticipated. All signs point to Nurkic, who came over from Portland in the Damian Lillard deal, opening the regular season as the starter. When healthy, Nurkic is a proven producer, but he's played in just 52, 56, 37 and eight games over the last four seasons, respectively.
