MILWAUKEE vs PHOENIX
When: 2/10/2021 10:00 PM
Where: PHX Arena, Phoenix

TV: 10:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , MILWAUKEE

Oddsmakers currently have the Milwaukee Bucks listed as 4 point favorites versus the Phoenix Suns, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.5.

The Suns have gone 7-4 at home. Phoenix ranks ninth in the NBA with 25.9 assists per game led by Chris Paul averaging 8.2.

The Bucks have gone 7-6 away from home. Milwaukee ranks second in the league with 48.8 rebounds per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo paces the Bucks with 11.1.

The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Devin Booker is second on the Suns with 4.3 assists and scores 23.5 points per game. Cameron Johnson is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers and 10.8 points over the last 10 games for Phoenix.

Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists for the Bucks. Khris Middleton is averaging 19 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 53.4% over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Suns: 6-4, averaging 109.8 points, 46.8 rebounds, 25.6 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.7 points on 44.7% shooting.

Bucks: 7-3, averaging 122.6 points, 50.5 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.5 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.5 points on 44.9% shooting.

INJURIES:

Suns: Chris Paul: out (hamstring), Cameron Payne: out (foot), Dario Saric: out (ankle), Abdel Nader: out (ankle), Jae Crowder: out (right foot).

Bucks: Jrue Holiday: out (health protocols).

BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix will attempt to extend its three-game win streak with a victory against Milwaukee.

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CLEVELAND vs PHOENIX
When: 2/8/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , CLEVELAND

Oddsmakers currently have the PHOENIX listed as 7.5 point favorites versus the CLEVELAND, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.

The Phoenix Suns appear to be getting comfortable at home again and will put their run of strong play up against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

The Suns have won five of their last six games, including two consecutive at home, to open a seven-game stretch in the desert. While the Cavaliers have been off their game of late, the Suns do have the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets on the upcoming home schedule.

In order to not overlook the Cavaliers, who have lost three consecutive games and five of their last six, the Suns will look to match their effort from Sunday in a 100-91 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Phoenix had to hang on for the victory after leading by as many as 17 in the third quarter. A balanced Suns attack had five players in double figures, including four starters. Mikal Bridges led the way with 19 points, while Devin Booker had 18.

Cameron Johnson had 17 points, while Suns big man Deandre Ayton had 16 points with 11 rebounds. Point guard Chris Paul had 15 points, but it was Booker who took more of a distributor role with 11 assists to Paul’s two.

Ayton, whose energy has come into question at times this season, was the target of head coach Monty Williams’ wrath in the third quarter but responded well to help close out the Celtics.

“He has unreal talent and it’s not me getting on him, it’s calling him up to the talent that he has, and he responded,” Williams said.

The Suns won in front of an intimate gathering of 1,493 fans, the first time Phoenix has played in front of an audience for a home game this season.

“Oh, it was lit; time to put on a show,” Ayton said. “It’s was great to actually hear fans instead of the (recorded) audio.”

The Cavaliers will enter Monday’s game after dropping consecutive games to the Milwaukee Bucks at home. Andre Drummond had 28 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s 124-99 loss to Milwaukee. They fell by 18 points to the Bucks on Friday.

There were signs of hope when the Cavaliers defeated the Brooklyn Nets in consecutive games last month, but since then, they have gone 2-7.

Collin Sexton and Darius Garland had 17 points each Saturday for the Cavaliers, who went 1-3 on a four-game home stretch and are now starting a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams.

At the start of the new year, the Cavaliers were competitive by playing solid defense and will look to repeat that effort on the road trip.

“I don’t see why we can’t do it,” Drummond said. “We’ve done it before so it’s just a matter of getting that engine going again and watching what we do really well to get that back into our head. That this is what we need to do to be a good defensive team.”

Cleveland’s Kevin Love, who has not played since Dec. 27 because of a calf injury, might make his return during the road trip. He has missed 22 consecutive games but was working out on the court before Saturday’s game.

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DETROIT vs PHOENIX
When: 2/5/2021 9:05 PM
Where:

TV: 9:05 PM
LINE: -8
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , DETROIT

Oddsmakers currently have the PHOENIX listed as -8 point favorites versus the DETROIT, while the game’s total is sitting at 214.

A long homestand could be just what the Phoenix Suns need to move up the Western Conference standings.

The Suns begin a seven-game homestand on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons. They have won three of their last four games but fell at New Orleans, 123-101, on Wednesday.

They won their last home game against Golden State and recorded two victories in Dallas before falling apart in the second half against the Pelicans.

“Good trip,” said Suns guard Devin Booker, who is averaging a team-high 23.1 points per game. “Whenever you can come out with a winning record when you hit the road is good. Obviously, we see there is room for improvement, and I think we’ll make those adjustments.”

Booker scored a team-best 25 points on Wednesday, but the Pelicans were outscored 75-55 after the break.

“We just didn’t have a lot of juice for whatever reason in the third and gave up a 40-point quarter,” coach Monty Williams said. “Can’t have that, especially on the road or at home. It doesn’t matter, 40-point quarters are a disaster.”

Williams’ team will try to avenge that loss during its return trip to New Orleans on Feb. 19. Prior to that, the Suns will host a parade of Eastern Conference teams. Following their matchup with the Pistons, the Pelicans will entertain Boston, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Orlando and Brooklyn.

Their game on Friday will finish off the two-game season series with Detroit. The Pistons defeated New Orleans in Detroit, 110-105, in overtime on Jan. 8.

The Pistons limited Phoenix to 37 second-half points that day before outscoring the visitors 17-12 during the extra session.

Jerami Grant led the way for Detroit, tying his career high with 31 points. The Suns committed 21 turnovers, which the Pistons turned into 23 points.

Detroit is in the midst of a tumultuous road trip. It lost to Golden State 118-91 on Saturday and Utah 117-105 on Tuesday. In between, the Pistons had their game in Denver postponed minutes before tipoff due to an inconclusive coronavirus test.

In Utah, the Pistons trailed by as much as 28 but sliced the deficit to four points in the late going.

“Compete — that’s all we have to hang our hat on. Compete, fight, scratch,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “Compete together, stay together, don’t give in to adversity. Don’t let go of the rope. I just felt they were, and I let the guys know. I thought they responded. Put ourselves in position (to win).”

With the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers looming on the schedule Saturday, the Pistons could view their game in Phoenix as their chance to salvage the trip.

“I hope we can play like that for a full game, for four quarters,” center Mason Plumlee said. “It’s nothing spectacular. I just think it’s the fundamentals of getting back on defense, competing, playing for the next guy. It’s not super complicated.”

Grant was once again Detroit’s leading scorer against the Jazz, posting 27 points. He’s averaging 23.7 points per game.

Plumlee has notched four double-doubles in the last five games after fouling out four consecutive times. He matched his season high with 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Utah.

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PHOENIX vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 2/3/2021 9:30 PM
Where:

TV: 9:30 PM
LINE: 3.5
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as 3.5 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 223.

Boston guard Kemba Walker played a season-high 31 minutes on Tuesday night, and he might be dressed in street clothes when the Celtics visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Walker hasn’t played on consecutive nights this season, but coach Brad Stevens didn’t rule out the possibility after Boston’s 111-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The win came in the opener of the Celtics’ five-game western swing.

Of course, Walker’s availability will depend on how his troublesome left knee is feeling. Trainers will surely examine him closely to see if the knee looks ready for a second straight night of pounding on the court.

Walker has played in just seven games this season and is still rounding into form while averaging 15 points per game.

Walker scored 19 against Golden State but hit just 6 of 18 field-goal attempts. Still, that was an improvement from his awful 1-of-12 effort while scoring a season-low four points Saturday in the Celtics’ 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

So naturally, Walker felt he took a welcome step forward.

“After tough ones, you have to bounce back,” Walker said. “I’m not perfect. I wish I was. I just want to do what I can to help us win.”

Stevens saw the look on Walker’s face prior to the Tuesday game and sensed he was ready to rebound from the Saturday showing.

“You could tell he was waiting for another chance to play,” Stevens said. “I thought he did a good job. … I’m sure he would say he would have liked to have shot it better, but I think he looked good.”

It was a much-needed win after Boston dropped five of its previous seven contests.

The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum recorded 27 points and nine rebounds against the Warriors. Fellow star Jaylen Brown scored 18 points, just shy of his 11th consecutive 20-point outing.

Boston, on the latter end of the back-to-back, will have to contend with the speed of dynamic Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox.

Fox poured in 38 points Monday during Sacramento’s 118-109 comeback road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The rising star took over the game with a 3-pointer with 7:07 left to begin a stretch in which he scored 17 straight Sacramento points over a span of 6:34.

The explosive effort marked Fox’s second-highest outing of the season and raised his scoring average to 22.1.

“Just trying to do whatever it takes to put us on top, and sometimes it’s hitting another gear in the fourth (quarter),” Fox said. “When it’s time to make plays, you’ve got to be ready.”

Fox outscored New Orleans all by himself in the final quarter as the Kings finished with a 31-15 flurry to post their fourth win in five games.

Fox is averaging 28.3 points and 8.4 assists over the past seven games. He logged 12 assists against the Pelicans, one shy of his season high.

“I think he’s proven he’s taken that next step,” Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton said of Fox. “He’s been an All-Star this year.”

Harrison Barnes scored 24 points against New Orleans and big man Richaun Holmes added 17 points and 10 rebounds and had a career-best six blocked shots for the third time this season.

Sacramento will play seven of its next eight games at home. The lone road outing is a short plane flight to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Sunday.

Boston has won eight of its past 10 meetings with Sacramento.

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PHOENIX vs DALLAS
When: 2/1/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: DALLAS , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the DALLAS listed as 1.5 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 219.5.

The Dallas Mavericks plan to offer a new look Monday night when they expect big men Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber to be available for their rematch with the visiting Phoenix Suns.

Deandre Ayton dominated the middle and Chris Paul came on strong late as the Suns rallied past the Mavericks 111-105 on Saturday night in the opener of the two-game set in Dallas.

With Porzingis resting on the second night of a back-to-back and Kleber still not cleared following a COVID issue, the Mavericks used Willie Cauley-Stein and Dwight Powell as their primary big men Saturday.

They combined for 22 points and 11 rebounds, but also for 12 fouls, each fouling out.

The Suns turned the Mavericks’ 26 fouls into a 31-14 edge in free throw attempts and a 27-8 dominance in points from the line, helping them offset Dallas’ 53.0-45.7 advantage in field-goal percentage.

With All-Star Devin Booker out for a fourth straight game while dealing with a strained left hamstring, Paul took charge in the fourth quarter, which began with the Suns down by five. Paul poured in 16 points in the period, helping the Suns outscore the Mavericks 34-23 to win their second straight.

Booker remains doubtful for Monday’s game.

Ayton (18 points, 17 rebounds) enjoyed being able to focus on rebounding down the stretch as everyone watched Paul take over the game offensively.

“I feel so honored just to be in those crunch-time minutes,” he said. “I was happy that I wasn’t in no foul trouble. Big ups to coach for trusting me and believing me.”

Dallas has lost five in a row and eight of its last 10.

“We’re bleeding,” Cauley-Stein assessed. “We’re trying to stop the bleeding.”

The win was Phoenix’s second of the season over their Western Conference rival. With Booker leading the way, the Suns prevailed in another close one, 106-102 at home on opening night, again with the Mavericks missing Porzingis.

The former All-Star has played in just nine games this season, and Dallas has lost six of them. He has not played his best ball of late, averaging 15.0 points on 36.0-percent shooting in his last three games.

Porzingis has enjoyed seeing the Suns in the past. He had 30 points in a meeting in the Florida bubble last August, the third time in nine career head-to-heads that he’s gone for 30 or more against Phoenix.

The NBA’s new same-opponent, same-site, two-game sets have not been friendly to the Mavericks, who lost by 12 and 19 points at Utah last week. Dallas will host another later this week when Golden State comes to town.

Another key for the Suns in Saturday’s win was a 30-27 advantage in points scored on 3-pointers despite taking seven fewer treys. Jae Crowder bombed in 4 of 9 to account for all but two of his 14 points.

Luka Doncic had three of the Mavericks’ nine 3-pointers. He finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

In two games against the Suns this season, Doncic has yet to record a double-double.

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PHOENIX vs DALLAS
When: 1/30/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: -1.5
PREDICTION: DALLAS , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the DALLAS listed as -1.5 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.5.

The Dallas Mavericks own a season-worst, four-game losing streak, and superstar Luka Doncic is mighty peeved.

Dallas looks to halt its skid and lower the frustration level when it hosts the Phoenix Suns on Saturday in the first of two consecutive matchups between the clubs.

The Mavericks’ latest two setbacks both came against the red-hot Utah Jazz, and Friday’s game barely qualified as a competition. Dallas trailed 37-12 after the opening quarter and was behind by as many as 30 before succumbing 120-101.

Doncic also was upset Wednesday after Dallas’ 116-104 loss to the Jazz, and his personal dissatisfaction was a few octaves higher after the Friday game.

“Terrible. There’s really not much to say,” Doncic said of the performance. “We’ve got to do something. This isn’t looking good. We’ve got to step up and talk to each other and play much better than this. It’s mostly effort.”

Areas in which Dallas got outworked by the Jazz included the boards and the perimeter. Utah held a 56-40 rebounding advantage and made 20 of 48 3-point attempts while Dallas was just 9 of 33.

That’s not good enough in the eyes of Doncic, who isn’t seeing a winning-type attitude five-plus weeks into the season.

“Right now it’s looking like we don’t care, honestly, if we win games or not,” Doncic said of a team that is a disappointing 8-11. “We need more energy, more effort. Dive for every ball, box out. Everything. There’s a lot of things we can improve.”

Said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle: “This is a tough stretch. We got to fight through it. Right now, it is about sticking together and fighting our way through this thing.”

Doncic scored 25 points Friday, and he has played well individually over the past five games, averaging 30.4 during that stretch.

Teammate Kristaps Porzingis is one of the struggling Dallas players. He is shooting just 36 percent (18 of 50) over the past three games, and had just 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting on Friday.

Phoenix will aim to defeat the Mavericks for the fifth straight time. The teams met in the season opener on Dec. 23 with the Suns claiming a 106-102 home win.

Phoenix will be without star guard Devin Booker (hamstring) for the fourth consecutive game as it opens a three-game road swing that includes another game in Dallas on Monday before ending in New Orleans on Wednesday.

The Suns lost their first two games without Booker as part of three straight setbacks before putting together a stellar 114-93 home triumph over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

Mikal Bridges led the balanced attack with 20 points as seven Suns scored in double digits. Phoenix had 34 assists on 41 field goals.

“That’s the kind of basketball we want to play,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “That’s the level I’m going to hold the guys to — 34 assists, the ball movement, the player movement, that’s who we are. The balance was much better.”

Phoenix got a solid lift from reserves Abdel Nader and Frank Kaminsky, who each played 25 minutes.

Nader scored a season-high 16 points for his second straight double-digit outing. Kaminsky scored a season-best 12 points, matched his career high of 13 rebounds and had a career-best eight assists as he flirted with his first career triple-double.

“Frank’s been amazing, making the job way easier for guys like myself,” Nader said of Kaminsky. “A big man with his head up and making those passes is huge.”

Bridges sank 6 of 10 field-goal attempts while posting his fourth 20-point effort of the campaign. He made just 7 of 22 shots while averaging nine points over the previous two games.

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PHOENIX vs MEMPHIS
When: 1/18/2021 5:00 PM
Where:

TV: 5:00 PM
LINE: 3
PREDICTION: MEMPHIS , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the MEMPHIS listed as 3 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.

The Phoenix Suns are scheduled to return from a COVID-19-mandated week off Monday afternoon when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies for a nationally televised contest on the NBA’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day card.

The Suns last played Jan. 11 in a 128-107 loss to the Washington Wizards, who had multiple players test positive after the game.

Unable to field the minimum required number of players due to contact tracing, the Suns were forced to postpone an entire homestand — Wednesday against Atlanta, Friday against Golden State, and Saturday against Indiana.

The result will be a fourth straight road game Monday and then a fifth Wednesday at Houston. By that point, the Suns will have opened the season with nine of 13 on the road.

The game is as important to the Grizzlies as the Suns. It will be the 19th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Game, one during which Ray Allen, Kenny Smith and WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike will be honored with National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Awards.

“There is always excitement for the MLK game here in Memphis,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Saturday. “So much history with our community rallying around this game and the fans and being in the spotlight and being able to play basketball on this special day means so much to these guys.”

The Grizzlies had a celebration of sorts on Saturday, when they welcomed back Ja Morant in a 106-104 home win over Philadelphia.

The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year had missed eight straight games with a sprained ankle. He put up 17 points and six assists in 31 minutes.

The win was Memphis’ fourth in a row and featured balanced scoring, with seven Grizzlies — including reserves Xavier Tillman, Grayson Allen and Desmond Bane — scoring in double figures.

The Grizzlies and Suns dueled for a play-in spot in the Western Conference playoffs last season. A 3-1 advantage in the season series gave Memphis the No. 9 seed — and a head-to-head with No. 8 Portland — after the Grizzlies and Suns had finished with identical 34-39 records.

The clubs did not face each other in the bubble, where Phoenix went 8-0.

That strong play away from home has carried over to this season, where the Suns already have wins at Sacramento, Utah, Denver and Indiana.

“I’m not quite sure we’re going to call this team special yet, we got a lot more work to do, but we have special people on this team across the board,” Suns coach Monty Williams said after the win at Indiana on Jan. 9. “High-character guys that bring it every day. They put up with me and I’m grateful to have the kind of players that we have.”

Mikal Bridges has been one of the headliners of late. After improving his scoring (8.3 to 9.1) and rebounding (3.2 to 4.0) averages slightly from his rookie year to last season, the third-year pro has exploded this season, currently averaging 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

He was the driving force in the win at Indiana with a career-best 34 points. He followed that with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in last Monday’s loss at Washington.

Phoenix is not expecting any COVID-related absences on Monday.

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LA CLIPPERS vs PHOENIX
When: 1/3/2021 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 2
PREDICTION: PHOENIX , LA CLIPPERS

Oddsmakers currently have the PHOENIX listed as 2 point favorites versus the LA CLIPPERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 218.

The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday in the first of two games during a three-day span between the two teams.

The Lakers captured a pair of wins in three days at San Antonio, including Friday’s 109-103 decision.

Anthony Davis had 34 points 11 rebounds and five assists for the Lakers. LeBron James finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 22nd triple-double with the Lakers, which moved him past Kobe Bryant into sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time list. He now trails Magic Johnson (138) and Elgin Baylor (26).

Dennis Schroder contributed 15 points and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 11.

The Lakers, who are second in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 50.2 percent, shot a season-low 40.6 percent against the Spurs. However, a 9-0 run in the final 2:30 allowed them to prevail.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said it’s crucial his club wins games during sub-par performances.

“I just think we persisted through our struggles, and that’s going to happen from time to time throughout a long regular season,” Vogel said. “You’re going to have some wins that are uglier than others. We knew coming into this season with the nature of the offseason and what not that there would be some ugly nights. The key is can you find a way to win when you’re not at your best. We were able to do that tonight.”

Dillon Brooks scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the short-handed Grizzlies past the Hornets 108-93 on Friday in Charlotte. Kyle Anderson had 18 points and a career-best 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who only had nine players available for health reasons.

Brandon Clarke added 15 points, Jonas Valanciunas collected 14 points and 10 boards and Gorgui Dieng had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Memphis recorded a season-high 34 assists. Tyus Jones had 12 of them.

“Guys were hitting (shots) off his passes,” Brooks said of Jones. “He was finding the right guys wide open. He was getting a lot of attention on the defensive end. He was making the right plays.”

The Grizzlies feasted on the Hornets in the third-quarter. Brooks scored 10 points in the quarter as the Grizzlies increased a 53-47 halftime advantage to 83-67. Charlotte never got the deficit below double digits.

Memphis has been without point guard Ja Morant (ankle), who is expected to remain sidelined for another month. An ankle injury also forced reserve guard Grayson Allen to miss the Charlotte game. He’s is listed as day-to-day on the injury report.

“We’re a team where it’s next man up,” Brooks said. “Guys are ready. We play hard in practice, training camp. Guys are confident.”

Injuries and illnesses also have impacted the Lakers. Guard Alex Caruso, who did not make the trip, will miss his fourth consecutive game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was forced to leave the Spurs’ game in the third quarter with an ankle sprain. He is listed as day-to-day.

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PHOENIX vs DENVER
When: 1/1/2021 9:00 PM
Where:

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: DENVER , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the DENVER listed as point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The Phoenix Suns said goodbye to the year 2020 with a 106-95 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. On Friday, they will try to ring in 2021 with a road win over the struggling Denver Nuggets.

The Suns have won four of their first five games of the season while working veteran Chris Paul seamlessly into the lineup. He is averaging 11.6 points and 9.2 assists and is one of six Phoenix players scoring in double figures.

More impressive than the offense is Phoenix’s defense. The Suns are holding opponents to an NBA-leading 97.8 points per game after allowing 113.4 points per game last season.

It’s encouraging, but first-year Phoenix coach Monty Williams isn’t ready to celebrate.

“It’s too early to get caught up in that, but we do like where we are,” Williams said after a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. “It’s something we feel like we can hang our hats on. A number of our players have talked about it as far as our identity has to be on the defensive end.”

Phoenix faces a Denver team searching for the defensive intensity that led to two consecutive playoff appearances. The Nuggets rank 29th in the league in defensive efficiency rating and are allowing teams to make 15.3 3-pointers a game, the fourth-worst rate in the NBA.

“Twenty-ninth in the league in defense just sounds horrible,” Denver forward Paul Millsap said Thursday. “Once we make our minds up that we want to be a good defensive team, that’s when we become it.”

The Nuggets’ defense might get a boost Friday if JaMychal Green is ready to make his team debut. Green, who joined Denver as a free agent in November, has been sidelined because of a left calf strain. He practiced Thursday and was listed as questionable for the Phoenix game.

“We signed JaMychal because he is a guy that has been through the NBA wars,” coach Michael Malone said Thursday.

The Nuggets also hope Jamal Murray can give it a go Friday night. Murray struggled to start the season but found his stroke midway through a Christmas night loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and he finished that contest with 23 points. After a 21-point effort in a win over the Houston Rockets on Monday, he sat out Denver’s Tuesday loss at Sacramento due to a bruised elbow.

Murray was listed as probable for Friday.

Denver will need everyone against a deep and confident Phoenix team, and it will need to clean up its 3-point defense. The Suns went 19 of 47 (40.4 percent) from long range against the Pelicans, then made 17 of 33 (51.5 percent) from beyond the arc at Utah.

Phoenix has snipers throughout the lineup, led by Devin Booker, who can score from all over the court.

Booker is averaging 20.2 points a game despite scoring just eight against New Orleans. Paul contributed just nine points in that win.

“If you can win a game like that and only play Book and Chris no more than 25 minutes, I think it gives the other guys confidence,” Williams said. “We know who our two best players are, and there’s no mistaking that.”

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PHOENIX vs UTAH
When: 12/31/2020 9:05 PM
Where:

TV: 9:05 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: UTAH , PHOENIX

Oddsmakers currently have the UTAH listed as -4 point favorites versus the PHOENIX, while the game’s total is sitting at 218.

The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz both look to build on recent success and end a bizarre and difficult 2020 on a positive note when they meet Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Phoenix, which has wins over Dallas, Sacramento and New Orleans this season, will try to win three in a row for the first time since ending the 2019-20 season with an eight-game winning streak in the NBA bubble this summer.

The Jazz hope to earn their first home win of the season after escaping from Oklahoma City with a 110-109 victory Monday. Utah lost its only home game Saturday against Minnesota after a season-opening win at Portland.

“I don’t feel like we played our best, but that’s the challenge, to figure out how to win when you don’t have your best game,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said after beating the Thunder on the road for the first time in a decade. “We hope we can take this and build on it and keep getting better.”

This is the first night of a home back-to-back set for the Jazz, who host the Clippers on New Year’s Day before a seven-game road trip.

The Jazz have won two of three games so far despite a rough shooting start for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. He’s averaging 20.3 points, but has only hit 32.3 percent of his field goals and 27.6 percent from 3-point range.

Mitchell, who signed a $195 million extension in the offseason, finished strong after struggling with his shot against Oklahoma City. He fired in the final 12 points for Utah, including a game-winning layup with seven seconds remaining. Mitchell ended with 20 points on 8-of-23 shooting.

Utah was also boosted by the play of Bojan Bogdanovic (23 points) and Mike Conley (20).

Snyder liked that Mitchell used screens more effectively and adjusted to the Thunder’s defense better as the night progressed.

“That’s the idea,” Snyder said, “to get better as the game goes on.”

Likewise, the Suns’ star-studded backcourt combo of Chris Paul and Devin Booker got plenty of help against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Jae Crowder poured in 21 points with five 3-pointers, Cameron Johnson added 18 points, and DeAndre Ayton contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds in the 111-86 victory.

“We couldn’t contain them on the dribble, we couldn’t handle the ball, their pressure really got us, the pace got us,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy said about the well-rounded Suns. “They had a much higher energy level.”

In all, six Phoenix players scored in double figures, a group that didn’t include Paul or Booker. They combined for 17 points, with Paul tallying nine points and nine assists in 23 minutes and Booker scoring eight points in 26 minutes.

“If you can win a game like that and only play Booker and Chris no more than (26) minutes, it gives the other guys confidence,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “But we know who our two best players are. There’s no mistaking that.”

Dario Saric played for the first time this season Tuesday after missing three games with right quad soreness, while Jalen Smith sat out with an ankle sprain. Utah doesn’t have any listed injuries.

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