Who: Phoenix Suns (27-17) @ Atlanta Hawks (21-25)
When: 5:30pm Arizona Time
Where: State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Georgia
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Suns are staring down the final stop of a six-game road trip, and after face-planting out of the gate with two losses, they have steadied themselves and ripped off three straight wins. That alone makes this a good trip. Beat Atlanta, and it turns into a great one. 4-2 on the East Coast is nothing to sneeze at.
Gesundheit
The problem is history. The last time Phoenix won a game in Atlanta was March 24, 2014. A different era. Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic were cooking, the vibes were sneaky good, and that team felt fun in the same unexpected way this one does now. Since then, Georgia has been a house of horrors. Why Georgia? Why?!
Atlanta is different now, too. The post Trae Young Hawks are scrappy, annoying, and hanging around the Play-In picture. Jalen Johnson is turning into an All-Star in real time. Dyson Daniels is a full-blown menace. And the scars are fresh. Phoenix blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead against this team earlier this season.
So this is not a scheduled win. This is an exorcism. A chance to close the trip strong and bury a few demons while they are at it. Grab your sword. This one is going to be a fight.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Jordan Goodwin — AVAILABLE (Jaw Sprain)
Hawks
- N’Faly Dante — OUT (Right ACL)
- Kristaps Porzingis — OUT (Left Achilles)
- Zaccharie Risacher — OUT (Left Knee)
What to Watch For
We will start on the Suns’ side of the ball, because that is where the intrigue lives. The big thing to watch is the continued integration of Jalen Green and how those minutes shake out. Ryan Dunn was the one who took the hit against Philadelphia, but Atlanta is longer and more athletic across the board. That opens up a different question. Is it Collin Gillespie? Is it Jordan Goodwin? Somebody is going to feel the squeeze as Green works his way back in.
As for Atlanta, do not let the 21-25 record lull you to sleep. This team is frisky. They are eighth in the league in three-point percentage on the ninth-most attempts. Even without Trae Young, they continue to move the ball as well as anyone, leading the league in assists. They play fast, second in pace, and they hunt passing lanes, ranking fourth in steals per game.
That puts a big red circle around one thing for Phoenix tonight. Ball security. If the Suns are loose with it, this game can get sideways in a hurry.
Key to a Suns Win
Stay focused. This is a tough one, not only because Atlanta can throw real problems at you, but because this is the final stop of a six-game road trip. From a human standpoint, you can feel it. Guys are ready to go home. Ready to get on a plane. Ready to land back in Phoenix and settle into a five-game home stand. That temptation is real.
But there is work left to do.
The Hawks are not going to roll over. They scratch. They claw. They hang around. They are fifth in the league in points off turnovers at 20.2 a night, and the Suns sit sixth-most in points allowed off turnovers at 19.7. That is not a coincidence waiting to happen. That is a warning sign.
If Phoenix gets loose with the ball, this game will turn fast. Ball security has to be the headline. Handle that, and the flight home feels a lot better. Ignore it, and Atlanta will make you pay.
Prediction
I want the good vibes to keep rolling. Coming into this trip, 3-3 felt like the reasonable outcome. Respectable. You take it and move on. But now there is an opening for 4-2, and that changes the conversation. That turns a solid trip into a great one.
So go finish it the right way. Lock in. Handle the ball. Do not let the end of the road trip creep into your head. Devin Booker pours in 28. Jalen Green gives you 20 off the bench and bends the game with his speed. Phoenix closes the book, boards the plane, and flies home with momentum humming.
Suns 108, Hawks 100
