Who: Phoenix Suns (39-30) vs. San Antonio Spurs (51-18)
When: 5:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Frost Bank Center — San Antonio, Texas
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, Suns+
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The road trip rolls on, this time with another test against a playoff squad out West. Happy March Madness to those who celebrate it. Tonight would be a great night for an “upset” in true March fashion for the Suns to take down the 9.5-point favorite San Antonio Spurs.
We can take a bit of an exhale
after this game, as the road trip finally ends, and they will head back home for a 4-game homestand. And boy, do they need it. The Suns do lead the season series against the Spurs, 2-1.
The Spurs have won three straight, while the Suns are on a three-game skid themselves. In the Spurs’ last contest against the Kings, they were in control from start to finish, allowing them to keep their starters’ minutes under control, with none of them exceeding 24 total minutes in the 28-point win.
Phoenix will be without Royce O’Neale in this one, and possibly Grayson Allen and Haywood Highsmith.
Probable Starters
Phoenix
- Oso Ighodaro
- Ryan Dunn
- Devin Booker
- Jalen Green
- Collin Gillespie
San Antonio
- Victor Wembanyama
- Harrison Barnes
- Julian Champagnie
- Stephon Castle
- De’Aaron Fox
Injury Report
Suns
- Dillon Brooks — OUT (Left Hand)
- Royce O’Neale — OUT (Left Knee Soreness)
- Grayson Allen — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Soreness)
- Haywood Highsmith — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Injury Management)
- Mark Williams — OUT (Left Foot)
Spurs
- David Jones-Garcia — OUT (Right Knee Soreness)
What to Watch For
The Spurs still have something to play for, as they only trail the Thunder by 3.5 games for the top seed. They are looking to lock in the 2nd seed, which they hold quite a large gap (7 games) over the Lakers at the moment. With 12 games left in the season, a few more wins should ultimately seal the deal for them. If OKC drops a game or two, things could get interesting for the top seed.
San Antonio is hot right now, and the Suns are depleted without veterans Dillon Brooks and Royce O’Neale, along with Mark Williams being sidelined. Allen and Highsmith are questionable, but even at full strength, this is going to be an uphill battle.
The Spurs have a bevy of wing/forward options in Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Carter Bryant and Julian Champagnie, along with a dynamic guard trio in Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper. All this to say, the Suns’ defense is going to have trouble staying in front of these guys.
Key to a Suns Win
Slow down Wemby
The obvious is containing Wemby. They’ve done a better job than most teams at that this season, and I’m sure Wembanyama has that in mind heading into this one.
A lot is going to fall in the hands of young big man Oso Ighodaro in terms of battling down low and being at a size disadvantage against Wembanyama and Luke Kornet whenever he’s in. Jordan Ott will likely lean heavily on Ighodaro, along with his rookies in Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming, to throw more size and physicality at Wemby, despite the inexperience.
Royce-less
With Royce O’Neale missing his first game of the season, Oso Ighodaro is the only Sun to appear in every game (69/69) so far. Ryan Dunn and Rasheer Fleming will have their hands full trying to make up for his absence in an already depleted wing/forward rotation. If Highsmith (and Allen to a lesser extent) are unable to go, look for some heavy Amir Coffey minutes.
Devin Booker and Jalen Green will need to carry the load offensively in a big way. We’re talking an efficient 60+ points combined between the two in order to hang with the Spurs.
Prediction Time
I’ll be honest here. I do not have very much faith in them pulling this one off on the road against a well-rested, fully healthy Spurs team. I expect San Antonio to come out sharp on their home floor and handle business with a few pushes from Phoenix, but ultimately, the Suns will fall short against a deeper, healthier team.
Suns 112, Spurs 123
