Wow, Phoenix has been sliding lately. With some injuries keeping key players like Kevin Durant and Bradly Beal out, this team can’t buy a win. They are currently on a four-game losing streak coming into this one against the Knicks. On the other hand, the Knicks have finally found a groove, stringing three wins together, and they’ve beat up some lesser teams. This could still be a good matchup, as neither team is firing on all cylinders yet.
Despite coming into this game with nearly the same record, these teams are in very different positions. While the Knicks are sitting at the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference with an 8-6 record, the Suns have slid down to 6th with their 9-6 record. The Suns are only one game away from being 11th in the West; it’s that tight. So this game matters to Phoenix a lot as they look to pull out some success without their big three whole.
That will be hard, though, as this Knicks team has finally found their footing. The Brunson Towns pick and roll has become one of the most fun plays to watch in basketball. Even though some other players are struggling in New York, Brunson continues to show his excellence. Mikal Bridges hasn't been nearly the player they expected to get when they gave up five first-round picks for him. He’s been improving on offense slowly, but his defense has been lackluster. Mikal needs to pick up the pace for a team that is built to compete against some of the best wings in the game. Despite some struggles, the Knicks match up well with the Suns. With Devin Booker as the primary focus of this Knicks defense, he could be in for a rough night against OG Anunoby.
The Suns, in general, will need some heroic efforts from their role players to overcome the Knicks. Especially with Jusuf Nurkic questionable tonight, they could be outmatched by a healthier team. Even with some big hits in the draft this year in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, Tyus Jones or Grayson Allen will need to find their shot tonight. Even if Booker can overcome OG on defense, there isn’t enough scoring on this roster to compete. We hope we see it, but we’re sticking firmly with the Knicks in this match!
Prediction: Knicks Win
Karl-Anthony Towns Points + Rebounds 40+: KAT has been putting up some monster games and taking on a size-limited Suns team so that he could do it again. He’s been averaging 26 points and 12 rebounds this season, so we’re not asking him to have an insane night; he's just above average. Especially if Nurkic is out tonight, he’ll have a green light inside to punish this injured Suns team.
Any Player to Score 40+: There are a couple of prime candidates to score 40+ tonight. It’s also a good time in the season to bet on this. With players back in shape, teams have a good feel for each other, and the refs are still giving a ton of free throws. Brunson, Towns, or Booker could all hit this number tonight!
Devin Booker Over 2.5 Turnovers: Booker isn’t the most turnover-prone player, but he’s going against size tonight. With the length advantage of OG and Mikal, we think he could give up a few easy ones.