Who: Phoenix Suns (1-5) vs. Orlando Magic (2-5)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Suns are back at it tonight after a loss to the Trail Blazers last night. The homestand continues.
Four straight losses. 1-5. And the Suns just watched Portland drop 43 on them in a single quarter after winning the first one 34-29.
I’ll say it out loud: game 7 of an 82-game season is a must-win. That sounds
insane from the outside. It isn’t. Houston and San Antonio come to town right after this, and if Phoenix can’t beat a 2-5 Orlando team missing Paolo Banchero, I have no idea where the next win comes from.
Through six games, nothing on film says this team is better than its record. The ball movement in the first quarter in the last two games showed what the ceiling looks like. NBA games are 48 minutes long; it needs to be there for more than 12 or 15 minutes. If Jordan Ott’s group can’t defend a bottom-10 offense at home, the conversation shifts from “early-season growing pains” to “roster construction problem,” and the lineup experimentation has to start now.
Tale of the Tape
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Mark Williams — OUT (Left Shoulder Surgery)
- Jordan Goodwin — OUT (Right Calf Soreness)
- Rasheer Fleming — QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain)
Magic
- Paolo Banchero — OUT (Ankle Sprain)
- Jalen Suggs — OUT (Knee)
What to Watch For
The Suns need to play big, for once. Orlando has size.
Phoenix got out-rebounded by 8 against Portland and let the Blazers shoot 41 free throws. Donovan Clingan put up 24 and 11 inside. Portland was the more physical team, and the Suns settled instead of attacking. That’s a size problem and a mentality problem at the same time.
Orlando brings real size back. Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. have a 105.9 defensive rating together over 155 minutes, which is elite. But the Magic are running a switch-heavy scheme with a small rookie guard in the starting five, and that’s the mismatch Phoenix should live on.
A long, physical Suns wing on Richardson in the post is a free bucket every time Orlando switches. They need to hunt him relentlessly. The best stretch of the Portland game came when Phoenix went right at Lillard. Orlando hands them the same target. Anthony Black is another guy to watch, as he returns after missing a game.
Bench depth matters more than usual. It’s the second night of a home-home back-to-back. Orlando is fresh from rest and starting a four-game road trip
Key to a Suns Win
Phoenix’s defense has to show up. They are ranked 30th in the NBA in defensive rating at 124.5. The Magic have been held to under 100 points four times this season already. Orlando is 30th in PPG and 23rd in Offensive Rating.
Correcting avoidable and “controllable” mistakes will be key in this one, and every game moving forward for that matter.
The Suns’ defense will be instrumental in turning this entire thing around, but especially this game. A struggling Magic squad could be just what the doctor ordered. But Orlando is thinking the same thing about the Suns’ defense being what they need to get their slumping offense back on track.
Set the tone defensively. Rebound the basketball. Play connected. And most importantly…
Play confident! These stretches can make you second-guess or lose confidence in yourself individually, or as a team. Phoenix needs to do all it can to block out all the noise and get back to focusing on the basics and taking it one game at a time.
Protect your home floor. Get win number two. Build some momentum heading into a tough 2-game stretch against the Rockets and Spurs after this one. The alternative… is not fun to think about.
Prediction
I’ve predicted against them in just about every game thus far, so it’s time to flip the “hope” switch on and speak their second win into existence.
