Who: Los Angeles Clippers (3-4) @ Phoenix Suns (3-5)
When: 7:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Watch: Suns+, Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7, KSUN
Simply put, it has been an enjoyable year thus far. Only eight games have been played, and the Phoenix Suns return home looking to continue their good fortune against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sitting at 3-5 and currently on the fringes of the Play-In picture if the playoffs started today, it might sound strange to call this season enjoyable…but it is. This Suns team can surprise you every night with how much fight and talent they truly have.
What makes this team entertaining isn’t perfection; it’s the unpredictability. One night, it’s a defensive showcase; the next, a shootout fueled by young players trying to prove themselves. Through injuries, lineup changes, and growing pains, the Suns have shown flashes of the chemistry and grit that could turn them into a real threat as the season unfolds.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Dillon Brooks – OUT (Core Muscle Strain)
- Jalen Green – PROBABLE (Right Hamstring Strain)
Clippers
- James Harden– OUT (Personal)
- Kawhi Leonard– OUT (Ankle)
- Jordan Miller — OUT (Hamstring)
- Kobe Sanders — OUT (Knee)
What to Watch For
The return of Bradley Beal to Phoenix is intriguing because we all know he’s going to go off, right? He’s averaging just eight points, and with James Harden out tonight, you know he’ll be looking to find his stroke.
If the Suns can contain that and take advantage of Kawhi Leonard’s absence, this should be a game they can control, so long as they don’t let the Clippers jump out to a 20-point lead without their two stars.
With Beal returning, one thing to watch early is whether Suns fans decide to boo or not. Personally, I couldn’t care less about his return, or even Kevin Durant’s at this point. The excitement surrounding this new, fun version of the Suns has washed away most of my negative feelings toward former players. Well, except for DeAndre Ayton. I still don’t like him.
Why boo when you have something to cheer for? Tonight is slated to be our introduction to Jalen Green, who the Suns acquired last June. My assumption is that, similar to Mark Williams, he will come off the bench in a minutes-restriction capacity. But it will be nice to see what he looks like on the floor.
Key to a Suns Win
This year’s Suns team doesn’t look like the kind that would take a night off just because Leonard and Harden are out. They don’t have the luxury of letting games slip away. This is a chance to steal a win from a Clippers team that could be battling for a final play-in spot at the end of the season. Every game matters, and a Devin Booker–led Suns squad needs to come out aggressive and set the tone early.
Getting off to a fast start means building a 10–20 point cushion and keeping control, with little concern about a Clippers comeback when most of their offense is sitting on the bench. The Suns’ challenge tonight isn’t just about execution, it’s about focus. Playing down to an undermanned team has been a bad habit in the past, but if they want to prove this season is different, these are the games they have to dominate from the opening tip.
Prediction
Suns win, running away with it in the early fourth quarter.
Suns 115, Clippers 98
