Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams will not play on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday against the Indiana Pacers at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Suns designated Williams as out due to “right knee return from injury management,” erring on the side of caution with the oft-injured big man.
This is the second back-to-back for the Suns this season, and Williams did not play the second leg of their first on Oct. 25. He has played in Phoenix’s other 10 games.
Williams played 26 minutes in Wednesday’s 123-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks and scored 10 points with four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Williams, who came to Phoenix in a draft-night trade from the Charlotte Hornets, has started Phoenix’s last eight games, six of which have been wins.
He has averaged 11.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 stocks (steals and blocks) in 25.2 minutes per game this season.
Williams had not played more than 44 games in any of his first three NBA seasons, leading to the Suns using a long and slow ramp-up for him ahead of their opening game.
The Suns have big men Oso Ighodaro and Nick Richards to fill in, with Ighodaro having opened the season as the starting center before Williams worked into the role. Rookie Khaman Maluach is another option, although he has played just over five minutes total in the team’s last five games.
The only other Suns player ruled out for Thursday is guard Jalen Green, who has a strained hamstring and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.
Pacers injury report vs. Suns
The Pacers, who are 1-10 and 0-6 on the road after reaching the NBA Finals, have a long list of injuries they are managing.
Johnny Furphy (sprained ankle), Tyrese Haliburton (torn Achilles), Quenton Jackson (strained hamstring), Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction), Cody Martin (illness), Bennedict Mathurin (sprained big toe) and Obi Toppin (fractured foot) are out on Thursday.
Point guard T.J. McConnell missed the first 10 games of the year but is back.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. MST in downtown Phoenix. Catch the game on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
