The Phoenix Suns (4-1, 2nd in Western Conference) are riding a three-game win streak into tonight’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers (2-4, 14th in Western Conference).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix is coming off a 125-119 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, a game in which it came back down from as much as 21 points and made 15 shots in a row to start the third quarter.
This is the second night of a back to back for the Blazers, who flew to Phoenix late last night after falling to the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder 137-114 at home.
Here are six keys to tonight’s game for the Suns:
Strong start
The Suns have had to come back from down 18 or more points in their last two contests after some really slow starts. The Blazers have been a really good team defensively to start off games, as they entered last night’s loss to the Thunder allowing the fewest points in the first quarter (22.4) in the NBA until OKC outscored them 37-24.
This is the kind of start the Suns need to have tonight after being outscored a combined 71-45 in the first period of their last two games.
"I looked at the rookies and told them right away, this isn't college anymore. It's a long game. it's a possession game."
Devin Booker after Suns rally from 21 down to top Clippers.
"You'd rather not be in that situation but 10 years in, I've been in a lot of situations." #Suns pic.twitter.com/QVfWJqwpHs
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 1, 2024
Play in transition, with pace
One way the Suns have been able to come back from big deficits is getting stops defensively and turning them into runouts offensively. With the firepower the Suns have offensively compared to the Blazers, playing with pace should allow them to create a good rhythm for the whole night.
Phoenix enters tonight fourth in the NBA in fastbreak points per game at 19.2 and first in the league in fastbreak points per game in the second half at 12.2 (compared to 19th in fastbreak points in the first half at 7.0). The Suns need to maintain this level of pace for the entire game, rather than just the second half.
Spacing on offense
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer offered this at practice yesterday on what Phoenix can do improve on from last game:
“I think our spacing can be better, our cutting, reading and reacting to each other’s movement. (That’s) something we kind of worked on a little bit on the court, in the film room. Developing counters, playing with more force, our screens, stuff like that. I think just kind of the normal working your way through early in the season, and you kind of got to do it all year. You got to keep tweaking, keep adjusting, keep making sure we got good spacing.”
In regards to this, the Suns have done a much better job with turnovers, recording 12, 11 and 11 over the past three contests after totaling 17 and 22 in the first two games of the season. The Suns have gotten up 3-pointers in the range of 36-39 attempts every game, but there is still room for even more attempts, as the top-9 teams in the league in total 3-pointers attempted are averaging over 40.
Avoid fouls at all costs, have active hands
The Blazers rank second in the NBA in total drives per game at 59.0 and draw the third-most fouls in the NBA at 24.3 per game. However, Portland is very susceptible to turning the ball over, averaging the fifth-most turnovers in the league at 17.3.
The Suns will have to be smart to not foul and be active with their hands against Portland’s downhill attack.
Scoot Henderson leads the NBA in total drives off the Portland bench (105), while Anfernee Simons (71 drives on the season) is another player to watch going downhill.
Don’t allow Blazers to get going from 3
Portland has shot 41.2% from 3 in its two wins this season, compared to 31.3% in its four losses. The Blazers have a lot of young, hungry wings who can get going from deep if they get good looks, so the Suns will have to close out strong on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
The Blazers are not a heavy 3-point shooting team (24th in the NBA with 32.7 3-point attempts), but this could easily be a big difference in tonight’s game if they get in a rhythm from 3.
Stay unpredictable
Phoenix has rolled out 82 different five-man lineup combinations this season, according to NBA.com, making opposing teams unsure what combination of players they’re going to face night in and night out.
In addition to this, the Suns have not relied on the same players or style every game to lead them to victory (Kevin Durant did not even attempt a shot in the fourth quarter last game). The role players have also stepped up big time, led by Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn and Mason Plumlee, so the Suns’ supporting cast has made them much more difficult to game plan against this season compared to last.
One player to watch that hasn’t gotten rolling yet this year is Grayson Allen, who led the league in 3-point percentage last season, but hasn’t made his mark offensively in the three games he has played this season in a new role off the bench, averaging only 4.3 points in 17.5 minutes per game.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. MST
Location: Footprint Center
TV Channel: AZ Family/3TV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 2, 2024
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Line: PHX -13
O/U: 226
Injury Report
Suns star provides update on his injury ahead of matchup against Blazers
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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
