Suns Ruled Out Royce O'Neale for Raptors Matchup

Phoenix dealing with multiple key injuries as they look to end five-game skid

Mar. 23, 2026 at 12:24am

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The Phoenix Suns have ruled out forward Royce O'Neale for their home matchup against the Toronto Raptors due to a left knee injury. O'Neale has missed the last two games and will sit out again as the Suns look to end their five-game losing streak while dealing with several other key player absences.

Why it matters

The Suns have struggled mightily during their current five-game slide, blowing fourth quarter leads in four of those losses. O'Neale's absence is just one of many injuries the team is currently dealing with, as they try to maintain their position in the Western Conference playoff race.

The details

Suns coach Jordan Ott said O'Neale's knee injury is just one part of the team's injury woes, with several other key players also ruled out for tonight's game against the Raptors. In addition to O'Neale, the Suns will be missing Grayson Allen, Amir Coffey, Haywood Highsmith, Dillon Brooks, and Mark Williams.

  • Royce O'Neale has missed the last two games after playing in the first 69.
  • The Suns' five-game losing streak began with a 122-115 loss to the Raptors on March 13.

The players

Royce O'Neale

A forward for the Phoenix Suns who has missed the last two games due to a left knee injury.

Jordan Ott

The head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

Grayson Allen

A player for the Phoenix Suns who is out with a left knee injury.

Amir Coffey

A player for the Phoenix Suns who is out with a left ankle sprain.

Haywood Highsmith

A player for the Phoenix Suns who is out with a right knee injury.

Dillon Brooks

A player for the Phoenix Suns who is out with a left hand fracture.

Mark Williams

A player for the Phoenix Suns who is out with a left foot third metatarsal stress reaction.

Collin Murray-Boyles

A rookie player for the Toronto Raptors who is out with a left thumb sprain.

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What they’re saying

“If you look at our injury report, there's a lot of size on our injury report. He's one piece to that. I think he does rebound well for his size, it's not only his size, it's his leadership, it's his spacing ability, it's his end-of-game play. We need all of those things at this point.”

— Jordan Ott, Head Coach, Phoenix Suns

“It does feel like the process is close and it's just that time you've got to find a way. And we've got to find a way to recover, rejuvenate, whatever word it is, to come back out, regroup, do it all again tomorrow night. The team that's coming here does not care. So we've got to find the juice, find the energy. Anyone we put in game, lace them up, go out there, give all that you can do. Kind of play to our identity and see what happens.”

— Jordan Ott, Head Coach, Phoenix Suns

What’s next

The Suns will look to end their five-game losing streak when they host the Raptors on March 23. Phoenix is currently four games back of the sixth seed in the Western Conference with just 11 games remaining in the regular season.

The takeaway

The Suns' injury woes have been a major factor in their recent struggles, as they try to maintain their position in the playoff race. Getting healthy and finding a way to win despite the absences will be crucial for Phoenix down the stretch.