Suns notes

Micic (ankle) is questionable for Wednesday’s game versus Houston.

Micic has yet to make his Phoenix debut and remains day-to-day. With Devin Booker (back), Bradley Beal (toe) and Grayson Allen (knee) already ruled out, there could be lots of minutes up for grabs.

Allen will not play Wednesday against Houston due to left knee soreness.

Wednesday’s game is the second leg of a back-to-back set, so the Suns will exercise caution with this being the final game before the All-Star break. Allen saw 20 minutes against Memphis on Tuesday, finishing with nine points, three assists and two steals. Ryan Dunn, Royce O’Neale and TyTy Washington could be poised for heavy workloads, as Devin Booker (back) and Bradley Beal (toe) are also sidelined.

Booker will not play Wednesday against Houston with a lower back contusion.

Booker played 40 minutes Tuesday against Memphis, finishing with 17 points (6-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds and nine assists. The Suns are likely holding him out for maintenance on the second leg of this back-to-back set, and he’ll get some time to recover during the All-Star break. With Grayson Allen (knee) and Bradley Beal (toe) out, the Suns could use a committee approach to soak up his minutes with TyTy Washington and Ryan Dunn possibly benefitting.

Booker ended with 17 points (6-13 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 5-5 FT), two rebounds and nine assists across 40 minutes during Tuesday’s 119-112 loss to Memphis.

One more dime would have done the trick for Booker, who has struggled to string together double-double results this season. Booker experienced an expected regression after seeing an expanded role during Kevin Durant’s three-game absence. The All-Star balled out with a 47/11 performance during Durant’s first missed game, showcasing his ability to blow up on any given evening if the game flows in his direction.

Bol had 18 points (7-16 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and two steals in 30 minutes during Tuesday’s 119-112 loss to the Grizzlies.

The Suns continue to tinker with their first unit, and Bradley Beal’s (toe) absence gave them another opportunity to experiment. Using Bol increased the team’s interior length, which they opted for against Memphis instead of a small-ball approach featuring an expanded role for Grayson Allen. Although the Suns fell short, using Bol in this manner yielded great results, so we could see more of this combination down the stretch, especially if Beal misses more games.