Who: Phoenix Suns (30–20) @ Portland Trail Blazers (23-27) When: 9:00 pm Arizona Time Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, Peacock Listen:
KMVP 98.7
This is a fun time of year in the NBA. The trade deadline chaos has everyone on standby for every Shams tweet. “Hug and handshake” watch is in full effect, along with tracking DNPs and walks to the locker room.
Phoenix may not have as much noise around it as last year, but there has been some positive news with Dillon Brooks winning Western Conference player of the week and Jordan Ott taking home Western Conference coach of the month in January.
There has been quite the shakeup out West between the Harden/Clippers situation along with Memphis embracing the tank and sending Jaren Jackson Jr. over to Utah. We’ll see if anything else groundbreaking happens.
Tipoff in this one is set for 9 pm local time here in Arizona, so get ready for a Pac12 After Dark vibe in Portland. Phoenix will need to have a short memory after getting handled by the Clippers on Sunday night as they look to bounceback in a tight Western Conference.
Probable Starters
Phoenix
- Mark Williams
- Royce O’Neale
- Dillon Brooks
- Grayson Allen
- Collin Gillespie
Portland
- Donovan Clingan
- Jerami Grant
- Toumani Camara
- Shaedon Sharpe
- Sidy Cissoko
Injury Report
Suns
- Devin Booker — OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
- Jalen Green — QUESTIONABLE (Right Hamstring Management, Left Hip Contusion)
Blazers
- Deni Avdija — OUT (Back)
- Jrue Holiday — QUESTIONABLE (Personal)
- Scoot Henderson — OUT (Hamstring)
What to Watch For
The Blazers have lost five straight games yet still find themselves as the 10th seed, which would sneak them into the final spot for the play-in tournament. They are 13-12 at home, despite dropping their last two there, including a blowout loss to the Cavs, where they allowed Jarrett Allen to drop a career-high 40 points.
Mark Williams will look to replicate that success in the interior tonight against a big Blazers frontline with Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Yang Hansen down low.
Outside of their bigs, Jerami Grant is a known Suns-killer, and Toumani Camara takes joy in playing well against his former team, so the Suns will have their hands full with the bigger forwards the Blazers possess.
Keys to a Suns Win
Defense is the building block for success for this Phoenix Suns team, plain and simple. This is the second time these teams have met this season, and the second time in Portland. The Suns won 127-110 in their first contest despite 29 points from Shaedon Sharpe and 17 from Caleb Love off the bench. Devin Booker and Deni Avdija both played in that one, and each team will be down its centerpiece star tonight.
Phoenix needs to contain Caleb Love, who has turned into a flamethrower off the bench. Jordan Goodwin, Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie… it’s your time to shine. Sharpe, Grant, and Love are their key trio of bucket-getters with Deni out. Jalen Green’s return would be a nice boost, but we will await the injury report on that.
We sure could use a big night from Grayson Allen offensively as well.
The main key for Phoenix is getting off to a strong start and making sure you don’t give this young Blazers team a chance in the 4th quarter. If it’s a close game on their home floor, the crowd will get into it and anything can happen, especially being down a closer in Devin Booker.
Prediction
I think the Suns get this one done, but it will not be easy by any stretch.
Suns 118, Blazers 113
