When the Phoenix Suns host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in the first of back-to-back games, they’ll be looking for the return of two key players.

Through the first three games, the Suns have not had their all-star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal on the court at the same time. Booker has missed the last two games with a foot strain, and Beal has been out all season with a back injury.

With 39 points in a 100-95 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers on October 26 and 26 more in a 126-104 home opener win over Utah on Saturday, Durant is doing more than his fair share to keep the Suns afloat. In the victory over the Jazz, Durant played only 29 minutes but hit 8 of 11 shots from the field.

Durant’s play and desire to share the ball were praised by Suns coach Frank Vogel.

“He did a phenomenal job early in the game facilitating for his teammates,” said Vogel. “And then everybody else gets involved, makes a couple shots and then they’re a little charged up more on the defensive end and he doesn’t have to do so much.”

Grayson Allen scored 17 points for the Suns, and Eric Gordon scored 21. The Suns took the lead for good in the third quarter. The Suns shot 52.9 percent from the floor, led by Jusuf Nurkic’s 10 points and bench scorers Drew Eubanks and Jordan Goodwin’s 12 points apiece.

The only thing Vogel would say about Booker and Beal is that they’re working hard with trainers; he wouldn’t elaborate. On Tuesday, their participation will be determined at game time.

The Spurs were blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers, 123-83, on the road on Sunday and are now on their way to Arizona to try to recover. After splitting their first two games at home, San Antonio faced their first road test as visitors, and they were not up to the challenge, falling down by as many as 34 points in the third quarter.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has noted that playing on the road in the NBA is “an education” because it is different than playing at home. If you’re already poor, there’s no way to improve your situation. Your competitive edge must be preserved at all costs.

Playing the embarrassed card is a surefire way to get your butt kicked in no time. You have to put up a struggle to get out of there. You must remain united.

The Spurs were led by Devin Vassell’s 14 points, just two of which came in the second half. Cedi Osman chipped in with 12 points off the bench, and freshman wonder Victor Wembanyama scored just 11 points in 26 minutes of action. The 25 turnovers by San Antonio were the most they’d had all year.

It’s not about how hard the battles are going to be, but how tenacious we are,” Wembanyama stated after the defeat. “I wouldn’t see any reason to be frustrated three games into the season, but it is a learning experience.”

They’ll play again on Thursday in Phoenix.