The Phoenix Suns (5-6) and Utah Jazz (4-7) meet tonight in Utah for the Suns’ second NBA In-Season Tournament game. The Jazz are 2-0 in tournament play, while the Suns are 0-1. That being said, tonight is a must win for the Suns if they want to have any chance of going to Vegas, as the Los Angeles Lakers are also 2-0 and own the tiebreaker over Phoenix since they beat them. The Suns revealed today that Bradley Beal will be out for at least three more weeks due to a low back strain. Phoenix and Utah will also square off on Sunday for their second game in a row against each other.
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Start Time: 8 p.m. MST
Location: Delta Center
TV Channel: 3Tv/AZ Family, ESPN
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 17, 2023
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -5.5
O/U: 237.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (right calf strain) AVAILABLE | Bradley Beal (low back strain) OUT | Jordan Goodwin (jaw contusion) AVAILABLE | Drew Eubanks (low back tightness) AVAILABLE | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Utah Jazz: Walker Kessler (left elbow sprain) OUT
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Utah Jazz: Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins
NBA In-Season Tournament Standings (Western Conference)
NBA In-Season Tournament Standings for the West 🏆
The chase for the #NBACup continues TONIGHT!
🏆 Kings vs. Spurs (7:30pm/et, ESPN)
🏆 Nuggets vs. Pelicans (8pm/et, NBA App)
🏆 Suns vs. Jazz (10pm/et, ESPN)
🏆 Lakers vs. Trail Blazers (10pm/et, NBA App)
🏆 Rockets vs.… pic.twitter.com/QmYJazwE8S— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2023
Last Time Out
The Phoenix Suns crushed the Minnesota Timberwolves 133-115 Wednesday night at home, snapping a two-game losing streak. Although the Suns got unfortunate news just an hour before tip-off that Bradley Beal wouldn’t be available, the offense stepped up big time against a very hot Timberwolves’ team, who had won seven straight and was ranked as the No. 1 defense in the NBA. That did not matter for the Suns, who faced Minnesota on two days of rest, while the Timberwolves were playing on the second night of a back to back. Phoenix shot 60% from the field and 55% from three-point range. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant could not have had a more ideal game in Booker’s return from a five-game absence with a right calf strain. Booker finished with 31 points, five assists and four rebounds in only 26 minutes in his return. Durant finished with 31 points, six assists and six rebounds in 35 minutes. In total, six Suns scored in double figures.
Tonight will mark the Jazz’s third-straight NBA In-Season Tournament game after they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 115-99 on Tuesday and the Memphis Grizzlies 127-121 last Friday. They have played no other games this past week. On Tuesday, Jordan Clarkson started 6-for-6 and finished with 30 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 21 points and nine rebounds in a dominant victory over the Blazers. John Collins (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Kelly Olynyk (12 points and 12 rebounds) dropped double doubles for Utah in this game. However, this game was won on the defensive end, as the Jazz had a season-high 11 steals. We will see if they can bring this defensive effort tonight against Phoenix, who already blew out Utah earlier this year without Booker and Beal.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Oct. 28, 2023)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Jazz before their second matchup of the year (via Suns)
Each team’s stats (via Suns and Jazz):
PREVIEW: Bradley Beal OUT
PREVIEW: Devin Booker + Kevin Durant = Pure Buckets
Devin Booker makes Suns history with unprecedented feat to start the season
WATCH: Highlights, Postgame Pressers Following Suns’ Victory over Timberwolves
WATCH: Highlights of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant vs. Timberwolves
WATCH: Frank Vogel Extremely Excited to Have Devin Booker Back as Suns Blow Out Timberwolves 133-115
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
