The second-annual NBA Cup is upon us tonight when the Phoenix Suns (8-2) travel to play the Utah Jazz (2-7) in the teams’ first group play game.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This will be the second game the Suns are without Kevin Durant (left calf strain). Jusuf Nurkić (left ankle soreness) is questionable after missing the second half of Sunday’s 127-118 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings.
This defeat snapped Phoenix’s seven-game win streak, as it looks to try to find a rhythm without Durant. The Jazz, on the other hand, have won two of their last three after dropping six straight to start the year. Utah last beat the San Antonio Spurs 111-110 Saturday behind 23 points from Collin Sexton and 54 bench points.
Here are some keys to victory for the Suns to get their first Group C victory:
Don’t underestimate the opponent
The Jazz are dead last in the league in points per game (105.0) and average margin of victory/defeat (-13.9) after getting blown out several times already this season. With that said, they have now gotten a little bit of rhythm with a couple wins, so the Suns can’t think this will be a cakewalk, especially since Phoenix has played pretty much every single game close this season and is without Durant.
If the Suns do find themselves up big, they cannot let up, as we have seen plenty of times this season, especially point differential matters in the NBA Cup. Phoenix can try to play the right style of basketball and build some rhythm without Durant if it is able to get a convincing victory tonight.
Bench has to play well
The Suns need Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to step up to give them some scoring off the bench without Durant. The two players combined to shoot 6-for-27 (22.2%) in Sunday’s loss. Josh Okogie did come up big with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and five rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. Mason Plumlee stepped up in Nurkić’s place with six points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
With that said, O’Neale and Allen are the two biggest feature players on Phoenix’s bench. O’Neale had been playing the best basketball of his career up until last game, while Allen has not been finding his mark consistently this season. Without Durant, the Suns can’t afford many poor shooting performances, so the bench play can help a lot in this area, and we will see if O’Neale and Allen can get back on track.
Don’t foul
One area the Jazz excel in is drawing fouls, as they are No. 1 in the league in opponent fouls per game (23.8) and second in free throw attempts (27.4). The Suns will have to focus on not sending Utah to the line tonight, as this can also be a way for the Jazz to easily kill momentum the Suns have.
Get Devin Booker going
Devin Booker has been dealing with an illness and his scoring numbers have not been up to par at all with his usual output. Booker is now 8-for-41 (19.5%) from 3-point range in the month of November (five games) and averaging 19.8 points.
With that said, he does have two straight double doubles with assists and is averaging 9.6 assists this month, so he can use his playmaking to open a lot of scoring opportunities for himself and others.
Without Durant, the Suns need Booker to step up big in this meaningful NBA Cup game.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. MST
Location: Delta Center
TV Channel: AZ Family/3TV, NBATV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 12, 2024
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Line: PHX -4
O/U: 226
Injury Report
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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
