DeAndre Ayton is back

The Phoenix Suns will have their prized big man, DeAndre Ayton, back in action. He will be fresh-off serving a 25-game suspension due to using a banned substance. The Suns are currently 10-15 and have lost three of their last four games.

Ayton has only played one game this season – the team’s emphatic, 124-95 win over the Sacramento Kings in their season-opener. He logged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks. His return will be huge boost as the Suns are in desperate need of a more demanding presence in the paint. Devin Booker and his scoring abilities will also gain much-needed help.

With the return, the Suns would now have seven active players who are averaging over 11 PPG. Ayton will be joining a list that includes Booker (25 PPG, 6 APG), Kelly Oubre (17.4 PPG), Aron Baynes (14.3 PPG), Ricky Rubio (13.8 PPG, 9.4 APG), Frank Kaminsky (11.5 APG), and Dario Saric (11.4 PPG).

Booker missed Sunday’s game due to forearm contusion and is listed as day-to-day. It’s still unsure if he’ll suit up tomorrow.

The Suns are 6-9 at home this season.

An aggressive Damian Lillard

Like the Suns, the 10-16 Portland Trail Blazers also come in having lost three of four games. On Friday, they bowed to the Denver Nuggets, 114-99, as Damian Lillard got relegated into a facilitator role (11 assists) due to shooting just 5-for-16 from the floor for a season-low 13 points.

With that, we should see Lillard come out aggressive and try to bounce back from a dud performance. He’s in a favourable match-up against Rubio and the other Suns guards and will be boasting averages of 26.3 points and a career-best 7.5 assists per game. The same goes to his backcourt partner, CJ McCollum, who has failed to eclipse 15 points in back-to-back games.

Hassan Whiteside (16.2 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG) and Carmelo Anthony (16.2 PPG), meanwhile, will be the featured guys out of the frontcourt. Whiteside registered a career-high 33 points in the Nuggets win, while also grabbing 11 boards and swatting four shots. He has three-straight games with four or more blocks.

The Blazers are 5-10 on the road this season.

PREDICTION:

Ayton will show some ring rust, but the Suns will be able to pull out the win, 114-109.