The Phoenix Suns are preparing for their third showdown this season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, a chance to move to 3-0 against their rivals this season. Aside from the starpower that will participate in this game, all the headlines surrounding the Suns revolve around Bradley Beal and his return from a back injury that has sidelined him for almost the entire season. However, while Beal returns the lineup, Kevin Durant finds himself on the injury report dealing with an ankle injury.

In fact, Durant is set to miss this game against the Warriors due to his left ankle sprain that he suffered in the Suns' NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

While he did not leave the tournament game last week, Durant was forced to miss this past Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Now, KD will miss his second consecutive game and his fourth game overall this season.

The good news for the Suns is that Durant has been doing some on-court work in practice and it does not appear as if his ankle injury is serious. Phoenix has been cautious with injuries to their stars, which is why it should not come as a surprise to see Durant sidelined again.

Durant played in the first two meetings against the Warriors this season, registering 18 points and 11 rebounds in the opening game of the season, as well as 32 points and eight rebounds in their second matchup.

With Devin Booker healthy and Beal returning on Tuesday, the Suns will have a chance to debut their new All-Star backcourt duo for the very first time this season. Their new “Big 3” debut has been delayed because of Durant's injury. In the three games that Beal has played in for Phoenix, Booker was out due to a foot/ankle injury, so he has only played with Durant.

Since Kevin Durant is unable to play against the Warriors due to his ankle injury, Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop figure to see their minutes increase. Nassir Little would be a candidate to also see his role increase, but Little has been ruled out due to an orbital fracture and being in the league's concussion protocol.

Dropping four of their last five games, the Suns will be looking to pick up yet another big win this season over Golden State, who is also struggling right now at 10-12 overall.