Here is what we are seeing at Footprint Center before the Phoenix Suns take on the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 7 p.m. MST:
Injury report
-Missing his fifth straight game, Royce O’Neale (left ankle sprain) will remain out for the Suns.
-Bogdan Bogdanović (left lower leg contusion) and Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) are probable for the Hawks. Onyeka Okongwu (facial contusion) is questionable while Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder injury management), Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation), Larry Nance Jr. (fractured fourth metacarpal, right hand) and Cody Zeller (personal reasons) are all out.
Pregame quotes
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer
On how the team can keep up the teamwork and communication throughout the game: “Probably the first thing is just talking about it. I think when things are hard, when there’s adversity, you got to kind of pull together. That’s the challenge in life and I think all of us can be better, probably at that and so, I think talking about it, being aware of it, and then, you don’t want adversity, but you know it’s coming in this league, you know it’s coming in a game, so we got to be better.
On the new rotation with Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkić off the bench: “It’s something that is going to take some time. It’s like everything, there have been some positives, there are some things we got to work through and continue to just improve, but obviously it’s something we felt was good for the team and could help us. We still, I think, are looking for that.”
Hawks coach Quin Snyder
On the Hawks’ NBA Cup experience in Las Vegas: “I think it was [good] because it was another different experience, you know? I thought it helped push us to learn more about ourselves and the way we have to play to be successful. I think there was a little bit of an emotional lull after that, and trying to find those and address them before they happen is hard. But I do think that was an important time for us. We got healthy during that time, played on the road, and played some really good teams. Tonight’s a great example. It’s the last game of a long road trip, coming off an emotional win, getting ready to head home. So, every game for us right now, there’s usually something, some sort of nugget in there that we can embrace, win or lose, it can help us get better.”
On the Hawks offense: “I think it’s funny, that was a great statistic that jumped out. I think even the double figures in points, if you look at the shot distribution, that was interesting to me, that we had a lot of guys. It’s not always going to be like that. Ithink Trae (Young) is a big catalyst for that when he’s able to see that maybe it’s not his opportunity to score early and to find other people. But then also, frankly, whether it’s early or late when we need him to score, I didn’t tell him to shoot from half court, but he was able to do that too. So, the ball movement is reflective a lot of times of us being connected. Then there are other games where, if we can get a good shot early in the clock, we want to take it too. So, finding that balance, I think, has been important for our team. Trey’s been a catalyst for that, De’Andre(Hunter) lately, as he’s played well. He’s seeing defenses that shift more. He’s seen double teams, and he’s been doing that too.”
Starting lineups
Phoenix Suns starting lineup vs. Atlanta Hawks
Tyus Jones
Devin Booker
Ryan Dunn
Kevin Durant
Mason Plumlee#SunsUp #NBA #TrueToAtlanta— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) January 10, 2025
Atlanta Hawks starting lineup vs. Phoenix Suns
Trae Young
Dyson Daniels
Vít Krejčí
Zaccharie Risacher
Clint Capela#SunsUp #NBA #TrueToAtlanta— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) January 10, 2025
Report: Phoenix Suns have 2-year extension waiting for Jimmy Butler
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
