Phoenix Suns: What to Watch For in Their Contest with the Utah Jazz
The Phoenix Suns are desperately in need of a winning-streak. A good start could come tonight, as they travel to play the Utah Jazz.
Looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the sixth time this season, the Phoenix Suns will travel to Utah in a match-up with the Jazz.
The Jazz, lead by head coach Quin Snyder, own a 13-9 record which is good for second place in their Northwest Division in the Western Conference. Utah is just one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the division.
While the Suns are looking to avoid another loss, the Jazz are playing for a third consecutive win. They’ve played extremely well as of late, winning six of their last seven games. The Jazz snapped a four-game skid in mid-November with this recent surge of play.
The Suns were blown out in their last game, a 138-109 defeat against the Golden State Warriors. It was the eighth loss in eleven games for Earl Watson and his Suns. If you’re waiting for this team to turn it around this season, well, you might be waiting for awhile. They’re currently tied for second-to-last in the Western Conference.
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The offense is lead by Devin Booker, the 20-year old guard in his sophomore season. He’s coming off a 21-point effort in Saturday’s blowout against the Warriors, but will need another strong performance tonight to take down the Jazz.
Eric Bledsoe, Booker’s partner in crime, has played extremely well as of late. He’s averaging 22.6 points per game in 32.8 minutes. He’s hauled in 6.4 rebounds while dishing out 5.8 assists over that span. The Suns will need their two guards to step up against the Utah defense.
Slowing down Booker and Bledsoe is no easy task, but the Jazz defense is one of the best in all of basketball. They lead the league in points allowed per game with 95.1, and are in second for their opponent field goal percentage, which sits at .429. On top of it all, the Jazz’ 21.0 free throw attempts per game is good for eighth overall.
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While the Phoenix Suns have young, flashy scorers like Booker and Bledsoe, the Utah Jazz have one of the league’s best defenses. If they’re able to shut down the Suns best guards, it could be another long night for Earl Watson and Co.