Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns travel to the Birthplace of Rock n’ Roll looking to avenge a January loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Will the Suns get what they want? Or, will the Grizzlies go 2-0 against Phoenix?
Catch this game live on Sunday, February 21, at 10 am, Manila time
HOME TEAM: Memphis Grizzlies (13-12, 6-8 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Ja Morant
- SG: Grayson Allen
- SF: Kyle Anderson
- PF: Brandon Clarke
- C: Jonas Valanciunas
The Grizzlies will host Phoenix this Sunday on the heels of back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder (122-113) last Thursday and against the Detroit Pistons (109-95) Saturday, both at home.
Although the Suns also played on Saturday, the Grizzlies have a slight advantage in terms of rest, as they don’t have to travel for this rematch against Phoenix. The Grizzlies defeated the Suns last January also at FedExForum, 108-104, on the strength of their bench that churned out 49 points to just 31 by Memphis’ second unit.
Bench play has been one of the biggest assets of Memphis this season. The Grizzlies are currently fifth in the NBA with 39.0 bench points per game, while Phoenix is only getting 33.7 from its depth guys. And the Grizzlies are going to take on Phoenix with Jonas Valanciunas available this time around.
The Lithuanian center was not around in the January game versus Phoenix, but now that he’s back, Suns center Deandre Ayton will be facing a stiffer resistance down low. Valanciunas had 17 points and 15 rebounds against Detroit.
Memphis has beaten the spread in three of its last four games at home.
ROAD TEAM: Phoenix Suns (18-10, 8-5 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: Mikal Bridges
- PF: Frank Kaminsky
- C: Deandre Ayton
The Suns are back in the win column. After stumbling in a 128-124 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets last Wednesday, Phoenix got back up by scoring a 132-114 road victory against the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday.
Chris Paul torched his old franchise with a crazy double-double of 15 points and 19 assists. Paul’s presence in Phoenix has elevated the Suns’ offense. The Suns are only 18th in the NBA with 112.0 points per game but are sixth in shooting efficiency, averaging 1.166 points per possession. The hope for the Suns in the rematch against Memphis is that he’ll carry over his brilliance from Saturday’s game into Sunday’s.
Paul had 16 points and seven assists in the loss to the Grizzlies but shot his team’s in the foot with four turnovers. Also watch out for Devin Booker, who must have circled this game day on the calendar, as he only scored 12 points on 5-of-21 shooting in their first meeting with Memphis.
Booker is scorching right now, having scored 27.6 points on 54.1 FG% over his last five games. Phoenix has covered the spread in four of its last five road games.
PREDICTIONS:
Devin Booker won’t allow himself to have two bad games against the Grizzlies this season. He teams up with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton to swarm Memphis’s defense. The Suns will win this game, 114-111.
