The Phoenix Suns (28-20, 6th in Western Conference) play their sixth matchup of a seven-game road trip tonight against the Atlanta Hawks (20-27, 10th in Eastern Conference) in the teams’ first meeting this season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!These two teams haven’t met since last season on Feb. 9 when the Hawks beat the Suns 116-107. This game came one day after Kevin Durant was traded to the Suns, so Phoenix was down a lot of players. Atlanta swept the season series last season and has won three straight over Phoenix in total.
The Suns will look to build off their 136-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Kevin Durant led the charge in his return to Brooklyn with 33 points and eight assists, while Jusuf Nurkić had one of his best performances in a Suns’ uniform with 28 points and 11 rebounds. The Suns will look to win their third straight game tonight and have won nine of their last 11 overall.
The Hawks also picked up their second straight victory on Tuesday night with a 138-122 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Trae Young had 26 to lead the Hawks, while Dejounte Murray had 24, as Atlanta took advantage of LA playing on the second night of a back to back.
Phoenix appears to be completely healthy outside of Damion Lee for the first time all season.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 5:30 p.m. MST
Location: State Farm Arena
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)
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -3.5
O/U:Â 249.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Bol Bol (right foot sprain) PROBABLE | Grayson Allen (right ankle sprain) NOT LISTED | Bradley Beal (nasal fracture) AVAILABLE | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Atlanta Hawks: De’Andre Hunter (right knee injury management) QUESTIONABLE | Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture) OUT | Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Atlanta Hawks:Â Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Another all-around team effort
- Defending the 3-point line
- Low turnovers
- Slowing down Trae Young
- Sustaining big leads
Prediction
Suns 132 – Hawks 115
This should be another high-scoring game for the Suns, as the Hawks rank second-to-last in the NBA in points allowed per game. Phoenix has been on a roll lately and that should continue tonight. The Hawks do score the third most amount of points per game, so they will be a good test for the Suns’ defense. Any one of the Big 3 should have a big night tonight for the Suns, and they need to focus in defensively to roll into good offense.
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Nets before their second matchup of the season (via Suns):
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Injury Report
Phoenix Suns should be near full health against Atlanta Hawks
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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
