Catch the game tomorrow at 9:30 AM, Manila time.
The Phoenix Suns visit the Brooklyn Nets in Kevin Durant’s first game back in Barclays Center since the blockbuster trade.
AWAY: Phoenix Suns (27-20, 13-9 AWAY)
Projected starting five:
- Devin Booker
- Bradley Beal
- Grayson Allen (day-to-day) / Josh Okogie
- Kevin Durant
- Jusuf Nurkic
After succeeding a seven-game winning streak with back-to-back losses, the Suns went back to the win column on Monday by pounding on the struggling Miami Heat, 118-105. It was a good all-around effort as they had 30 assists to only seven turnovers, with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and sixth man Eric Gordon each scoring 20-plus points.
As always, the elite offensive prowess of Durant (28.3 PPG) and Booker (28.4 PPG) will be the main attraction, especially since it’s the former’s first game in Brooklyn since last year’s blockbuster trade. The latter has plenty of spotlight as well since he recently racked up 52, 62, 46, and 44 points in a six-game span. Further, they’ll be hungry to get a win back following that 116-112 loss to the Nets last month.
Though now a forgotten man in the Suns’ supposed Big 3, Bradley Beal is doing okay, posting 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game on 50.6% shooting in his last 16 games.
HOME: Brooklyn Nets (19-27, 12-12 HOME)
Projected starting five:
- Spencer Dinwiddie
- Mikal Bridges
- Cam Johnson
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Nic Claxton
The Nets demolished the Utah Jazz on Monday, 147-114, for their second-straight win. It was their season-high in points, and marked as their first back-to-back victory in over a month. They went on a dreadful 4-17 stretch over their 21 previous contests.
Also adding to the good news is the return of Ben Simmons after a 38-game absence. The former All-Star showed out, delivering a near triple-double of 10 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in just 18 minutes of action. He may take on the tall task of defending Kevin Durant tomorrow.
Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, meanwhile, will counter the 1-2 scoring punch of the Suns – the former has 26.7 PPG in his last 10, while the latter has 25.7 PPG on 55.2% shooting in his last six. They’ll be the “poor man’s version,” but we’ve seen such inferior duos rise up and outshine bigger talents.
Big man Nic Claxton (12.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.2 BPG) could be a presence as well as he does a good job protecting the paint and showing flashes of his offense.
PREDICTIONS:
Handicap: The Suns (-3.5) cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total goes under 233.
Jermain Bednar
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