Isaiah Thomas to miss 3rd consecutive game for Suns on Sunday

The Phoenix Suns looked just fine without Isaiah Thomas. Then they looked like a disaster. Sunday will mark the rubber match, with the Suns set to play without their bench spark plug for a third consecutive game.

Thomas will sit once again due to a bruised right ankle, the team announced shortly before Sunday's game against the Orlando Magic. The Suns split the first two games Thomas has missed, both against the Denver Nuggets.

In those games, Phoenix has opted to lean more heavily on starters Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe rather than call on a third point guard to fill in for Thomas directly. On Friday, Archie Goodwin and Tyler Ennis both saw some unexpected run, but that was due to the Suns being blown out rather than any strategic change.

While the Suns have stumbled to start the year, Thomas hasn't had any issue finding his offensive groove in his new home. In 15 games, he's averaging 15.5 points in just 23.6 minutes, ranking 12th in the league in points per minute. He's also averaging 4.1 assists, and the Suns offense has been 3.5 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor than without.