The Phoenix Suns (19-16, 8th in Western Conference) play host to the Memphis Grizzlies (12-23, 13th in Western Conference) to conclude their six-game homestand tonight. Phoenix gets a huge bolster to its lineup with Kevin Durant making his return from a three-game absence due to a right hamstring strain. Eric Gordon will miss his second consecutive game due to right knee soreness. The Suns are 2-0 this season against the Grizzlies, and Memphis has just ruled out Ja Morant for tonight’s matchup. The Grizzlies are 6-3 in games he has played in and 6-20 when he doesn’t play. The Suns have won five of their last six games after defeating the Heat on Friday.
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Start Time: 6:00 p.m. MST
Location:Â Footprint Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 7, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -7.5
O/U:Â 228.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Kevin Durant (right hamstring strain) AVAILABLE | Eric Gordon (right knee soreness) OUT | Bol Bol (right ankle sprain) OUT | Nassir Little (left knee soreness) OUT | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant (right shoulder soreness) OUT | Vince Williams Jr. (left foot soreness) AVAILABLE | Derrick Rose (left hamstring strain) OUT | Steven Adams (right knee PCL surgery) OUT | Brandon Clarke (left achilles tendon repair) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Memphis Grizzlies:Â Marcus Smart, Desmond bane, Luke Kennard, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman Sr.
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Continue with great spacing on offense
- Don’t overcomplicate things with all of Big 3 healthy
- Find Grayson Allen
- Limit Desmond Bane
- Force turnovers
Prediction
Suns 123 – Grizzlies 102
There is no reason the Suns should not blow out Memphis tonight without Ja Morant, even with them having Marcus Smart healthy for the first time this season vs. the Suns. Phoenix should be able to ride the momentum from Friday’s huge victory and easily insert Kevin Durant into the fold. The Suns have taken care of business pretty handily against Memphis twice already this season and now have almost their full arsenal of weapons minus Eric Gordon.
Last Time Out
The Phoenix Suns (19-16) won big over the Miami Heat (20-15) 113-97 at home Friday night to rebound from a loss from the Clippers and get their fifth victory in six games. The Suns pulled off the W despite Kevin Durant (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (knee) being out, while Miami was without Jimmy Butler. The Suns were led by Grayson Allen’s career-high and franchise-record tying nine threes, as he finished with 31 points, four assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Bradley Beal had arguably his best game yet for Phoenix, posting a near triple double with 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting, nine assists and eight rebounds. Devin Booker also was a major contributor finishing with 20 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals. Right out of the gates, Phoenix came out looking aggressive on both sides of the ball, shutting down a lot of offensive sets for the Heat and putting up a lot of threes on offense. They cruised to victory after outscoring the Heat 32-20 in the third quarter. The Suns totaled 30 assists on 44 made shots, finished shooting over 50% from the field and held the Heat under 100 points.
The Memphis Grizzlies (12-23) pulled off a convincing 127-113 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers (17-19) Wednesday night. Jaren Jackson Jr. (31 points, nine rebounds, shot 5-of-6 from three), Marcus Smart (29 points, five assists, shot 8-of-14 from three), Desmond Bane (24 points, 13 assists, shot 5-of-8) from three each made over five threes in the win. Memphis as a team shot over 50 % from deep at a 23-45 clip. Memphis pulled away late with a 24-10 run to end the game.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Dec. 2, 2023)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Grizzlies before their third matchup of the season (via Suns)
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Kevin Durant In, Ja Morant OUT
Kevin Durant Available, Ja Morant Out for Tonight’s Suns vs. Grizzlies Game
Preview: Suns’ Execution of Defensive Game Plan
Preview: Grayson Allen Coming off Career Night
Phoenix Suns Share Insight into Grayson Allen’s Role, Career Night
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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
