Who: Phoenix Suns (22-15) vs. New York Knicks (24-13)
When: 7:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Arena — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, NBATV
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The New York Knicks travel to Phoenix having lost four of their past five games against the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, and San Antonio Spurs. It is their first of four games for the Knicks on a West Coast road trip. The Suns are 7-2 in their last nine games and have two home
games remaining before embarking on a six-game East Coast road trip, during which they will have a rematch with the Knicks.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has lit up the Phoenix Suns over the last two seasons, scoring over 35 points in three of the four matchups, including a 50-point barrage. This season, Brunson is averaging 29.1 points and is second in the Eastern Conference All-Star voting. However, this is a different Suns team defensively, and creating offense against Phoenix will be much more challenging with Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Ryan Dunn, and Dillon Brooks on the court.
It is another matchup against one of the Suns’ fan favorites, Mikal Bridges, who is averaging 16.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season. It will be a different experience watching him play this time around. For the first time since Bridges was traded, we won’t be missing the hustle, heart, grit, and joy he played with because we finally have a team that is fun and exciting to watch again. We finally have a team that plays hard and has good vibes, something that we have been missing since he was traded.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Jalen Green — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
- Jamaree Bouyea — OUT (Concussion Protocol)
Knicks
- Landry Shamet — OUT (Shoulder)
- Josh Hart — OUT (Ankle Sprain)
What to Watch For
Barring another injury, the Suns are one final step away from being a complete team for the first time this season. Grayson Allen shook off the rust against the Memphis Grizzlies to the tune of 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. As a team, the Suns shot 22-for-56 from 3, a return to the early-season Suns form. The Suns’ shooting from long range has decreased drastically since Allen caught the injury bug in the middle of November.
The Suns were shooting 38% from distance and making 16.1 a game before Allen left the lineup in November. Since then, the Suns have made 13.3 per game on 35.2% from the field. Getting one of the best shooters in the NBA back into the lineup will be a huge difference-maker to a Suns offense that is 14th in offensive efficiency this season.
The Suns will need another explosive offensive performance against the Knicks, who are fourth this season in offensive efficiency. The Brunson-Towns two-man game is one of the toughest pick-and-roll combinations in the league to defend, as well as Anunoby and Bridges’ ability to create offense off of that two-man game.
Keys to a Suns Win
Defensively, containing Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will be the Suns’ key to securing a win over the Knicks. If the Suns can slow down one of the NBA’s best offenses and push the pace by forcing turnovers and missed shots, there will be many opportunities to score easily on offense. Mark Williams and other Suns bigs must hold up in pick-and-roll defense, whether it’s switching onto Brunson at times and staying out on Towns to not let him get any easy 3-point looks. That will be the deciding factor in this game.
If the Knicks decide to play Towns at power forward and Mitchell Robinson at center, then it will come down to Brooks, Dunn, and O’Neale to hold up against the Knicks’ big men. The Knicks are seventh in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage, so if the Suns are forcing misses, they have to keep the Knicks off the offensive glass, especially Robinson, who averages 4.6 offensive rebounds a game.
Offensively, the Knicks allow 14.7 made 3-point field goals per game, third most in the NBA. The Suns’ shooters have to shoot the ball well to win this game. The opportunities will be there for O’Neale, Gillespie, and Allen; they just have to make them.
Prediction
The Suns win a high-scoring game.
Suns 130, Knicks 123
