Who: Phoenix Suns (21-15) @ Memphis Grizzlies (16-20)
When: 6:00pm Arizona Time
Where: FedEx Forum — Memphis, Tennessee
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The season keeps rolling, and with the trade deadline now a month away, the Suns head to Memphis to see what kind of mood the Grizzlies are in. They are fiesty, so user beware. Just ask the Spurs last night.
This is the same Memphis group that caught Phoenix earlier in the year, but both teams have taken very different
roads since then. The Grizzlies sit at 16-20, patching things together through injuries, playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and still searching for something that looks like an identity. The offense lives in the bottom third, and the vibes feel fragile.
Phoenix comes in from the opposite emotional direction. A statement win over Oklahoma City, followed by a road loss in Houston that required a Kevin Durant buzzer-beater to finish them off. The energy in the Valley is good.
This is one of those nights. The kind you use to keep stacking wins, not overthinking it, and letting the math work in your favor.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Jamaree Bouyea — OUT (Concussion)
- Jordan Goodwin — AVAILABLE (Jaw Sprain)
- Jalen Green — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)
Grizzlies
- Brandon Clarke — OUT (Right Calf Strain)
- Santi Aldama — QUESTIONABLE (Rinke Ankle)
- Cedric Coward — OUT (Left Ankle)
- Jaren Jackson, Jr — PROBABLE (Illness)
- Ty Jerome — OUT (Right Calf)
- John Konchar – OUT (Left Thumb Surgery)
- Ja Morant — QUESTIONABLE (Right Calf Contusion)
- Scotty Pippen Jr — OUT (Left Toe)
- Vince Williams Jr — QUESTIONABLE (Left Patellar)
What to Watch For
I am going to be watching Grayson Allen closely. He went 0-of-6 from the field in his return against Houston. The shot never showed up, but the playmaking did, at least early, with 6 assists in the first half. Then it vanished. Zero assists after the break.
This is about rhythm. About timing. About getting his legs back underneath him. Every team needs a shooter off the bench who bends the floor the second he checks in. Jordan Goodwin has been carrying that load, and credit to him for it. If Allen finds his groove too, things get dangerous fast.
Bench scoring is still an area of opportunity for Phoenix. They are at 18.8 points per game, 20th in the league. There is room to grow, and nights like this are how it starts.
Key to a Suns Win
Play your game. The Suns have a real structure now, and this is a night to trust it against Memphis.
The Grizzlies do not generate steals at a high level, sitting 21st in the league in that department. If Phoenix values the ball, stays patient, and runs what they run, the math starts working in their favor. Hold onto it, avoid the careless stuff, and let the game come to you. Good things tend to follow.
Prediction
Suns get the win. Brooks goes for 31 against his old team. And no techs.
Suns 116, Grizzlies 109
