Game Preview: Suns face an enormous publish break check towards surging Spurs squad
Who: Phoenix Suns (32-23) vs. San Antonio Spurs (38-16)
When: 6:30pm Arizona Time
Where: Moody Center—Austin, Texas
watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Phoenix Suns enter the ultimate stretch run of the season with one of many hottest groups within the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have gained six straight and are the second-best staff, record-wise, within the Western Conference. However, this season, the Suns have had the Spurs’ quantity, successful each contests decisively. In the primary sport with Victor Wembanyama within the lineup, the Suns shot a blister 19-for-33 from the 3-point line and held Wembanyama to 9 factors in 34 minutes. It was the primary time this Suns staff confirmed indicators of being a playoff staff this season. In the second matchup, the Suns gained comfortably with Wembanyama out resulting from damage.
commercial
Unlike the Spurs, the Suns entered the All-Star break working on fumes. In their final 10 video games earlier than the break, the Suns had been 5-5 with blowout losses to the Clippers and Thunder. The Suns wanted the break to regroup and get better earlier than making their last push of the season. The Suns will virtually be at full energy, however Dillon Brooks will miss this matchup due to a one-game suspension for all of his technical fouls. Can the Suns finish the Spurs’ win streak and take step one publish All-Star break to climb into the highest six seeds of the Western Conference?
Likely Starters
Injury Report
Suns
Dillon Brooks — OUT (Suspension)
Cole Anthony — OUT (Not With Team)
Spurs
Harrison Ingram—OUT (G-League Two-Way)
David Jonas Garcia — OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Mason Plumlee — OUT (Return to competitors conditioning)
Stanley Umude—OUT (G-League Two-Way)
Lindy Waters III — OUT (Left Knee)
commercial
What to Watch For
As thrilling as this sport seems on paper, it is going to probably come all the way down to who can shake off the holiday cobwebs first. This sport might be gained or misplaced with sloppy play within the first quarter. This would be the first time this season the Suns will see a completely wholesome Spurs unit, with each Fox and Wembanyama lacking earlier matchups. The Spurs’ protection with Wembanyama within the lineup is dominant. They are third in defensive score, second in defensive rebounding proportion, and second in fastbreak factors given up.
One of the important thing areas for the Suns’ success this season has been on the margins, and the Spurs don’t hand over fastbreak factors or offensive rebounds. Look for the Suns to take quite a lot of threes and switch up the aggressiveness on protection to attempt to drive the Spurs to commit turnovers. This technique labored the primary time the Suns performed Wembanyama, the place they held him to a season low of 9 factors. Can the Suns replicate that defensive efficiency once more?
Key to a Suns Win
The Suns want massive video games from their 3-point shooters. Royce O’Neale, Collin Gillespie, and Jordan Goodwin might want to stretch the ground and drive Wembanyama away from the basket. If the Spurs can load up towards Devin Booker and Jalen Green, will probably be a protracted evening of dangerous offense and tough photographs. For Booker particularly, he has solely performed in two video games since January 23, dropping to the Atlanta Hawks. Now that he seems wholesome after his ankle damage, he must be at his greatest in scoring and playmaking for his teammates for the Suns to win, particularly with out Brooks within the lineup.
commercial
Prediction
The Suns come out quick, centered, and Booker leads the Suns with a double-double to beat the Spurs.
Suns 118, Spurs 110
