Suns coach Mike Budenholzer benched Beal back on Jan. 6 at Philadelphia and replaced him with rookie Ryan Dunn. Beal hadn't come off the bench since his fourth NBA season in 2015-16, but is now back in the starting lineup along with Devin Booker, Royce O'Neale, Kevin Durant and Nick Richards.

Phoenix is still struggling, so Saturday Coach Bud moved Beal back into the starting lineup and the result was him dropping 25 points — with the Suns’ big three of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combining to score 81 — in a win over the Chicago Bulls, 121-117, snapping a two-game Phoenix losing streak.

After nailing a dagger 3 to give the Suns a six-point lead with 13.4 seconds left, Beal held up the 3-point sign while skipping up the baseline. He was greeted by his teammates and went down the line celebrating with each one. Beal then broke into a slip-and-slide dance with Monte Morris that had them both laughing.

Beal started next to Devin Booker, Royce O'Neale, Kevin Durant and Nick Richards. With no traditional point guard on the court, this is the same sort of lineup construction that the Suns relied on throughout the 2023-24 season under coach Frank Vogel.

Booker churned out a game-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting after a 4-of-14 effort in Thursday's loss to San Antonio to lead the Suns (27-29) while Beal scored 25 in his return to the starting lineup as he replaced Tyus Jones.