Game Preview: Suns head to the Garden to take on the Knicks

Phoenix is seeking their 15th consecutive victory on Friday night.

What: Phoenix Suns (15-3) @ New York Knicks (10-8)

When: 5:00 p.m. AZ Time

Where: Madison Square Garden

Watch: Bally Sports Arizona

Listen: 98.7 FM

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I hope that you and yours had a very Happy Thanksgiving. And if you’re one of the many international Suns’ fans who don’t celebrate the Turkey Day holiday, I hope you had an awesome Thursday.

We have plenty to be thankful for this season. The Suns, like Old School’s Frank ‘The Tank’ Ricard, are streaking. The team enters Friday evening’s game versus the Knickerbockers having won 14 consecutive games.

The big three for Phoenix have excelled this season. Chris Paul leads the NBA in assists (10.4) and third in steals (2.1). Devin Booker has become a clutch-time savant, shooting 73.3% in the minutes that determine a tight game. And Deandre Ayton has shown the aggressiveness we’ve all desired to see, learning from JaVale McGee and displaying growth despite not receiving the max extension in the offseason.

The Knicks, who are currently slotted with the seventh seed in a competitive Eastern Conference, started the season 5-1. Last year’s Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau— whether I agree with that or not is a different story — had the team playing well and The Big Apple was abuzz with their performance.

The offseason additions of Bronx native Kemba Walker and French shooting guard Evan Fournier fueled the team to a hot start in October. The team has returned to earth, however, as the team has gone 5-7 thus far in November. New York is coming off of a win versus the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, however, and have won 3 of their last 5 games.

Probable Starting Lineups

Uniform Tracker

Out/Injured

Phoenix:

• Dario Saric (knee) is OUT
• Frank Kaminsky (knee soreness) is OUT

Mavericks:

• Taj Gibson (groin) is QUESTIONABLE
• Mitchell Robinson (concussion protocol) is QUESTIONABLE
• Derrick Rose (ankle) is QUESTIONABLE

Keys to a Suns Win

The Suns to continue to execute, especially late in games, the way that they have throughout November. It was last season against the New York Knicks that Chris Paul and the Suns began to display clutch-time prowess and it is something that has carried over into the 2021-22 season.

Prediction

Let’s make it 15, eh?

Suns 114, Knicks 109