Previewing a Difficult Week for Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have a big week coming up.
At this current point of time, the Suns sit as the four seed in the Western Conference with a record of 38-33. While they are in a comfortable position in the standings, with 11 games still remaining a lot could still change for Phoenix.
The Suns' first game of the week is on Wednesday as they travel to Los Angeles to battle the Lakers. Their record may not be up to par but the Lakers are starting to get back on track. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have climbed back into the play-in picture.
With each and every game so important for the Lakers for the rest of the season, they have a lot more to play for then Phoenix does meaning their intensity will be high.
LeBron James’ absence from the lineup has allowed Anthony Davis to truly emerge as the number one option. He is averaging 25.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Davis will surely be a handful for the Suns to deal with and they will have to rely heavily on Deandre Ayton to slow him down.
Phoenix is 2-0 against the Lakers this season so it will be interesting to see if this new-look Lakers squad will change the tides of this matchup.
The Suns week gets even more difficult on Friday when they will play the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento has been one of if not the biggest surprise of this NBA season. The Kings are expected to break a 16 year playoff drought as their impressive 43-17 record is enough to place them as the two seed in the West.
It's the Kings offense that makes this team truly elite. They rank first in offensive rating amongst the entire NBA scoring 118.7 points a game. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis have both taken a huge jump becoming an elite duo that teams must take seriously.
Devin Booker and Ayton matchup well against this lethal Sacramento duo so it will be intriguing to see what team comes out on top and which individual will rise above the other.
The Suns end their week Saturday, returning back home to play the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers are hitting their stride at the right time. They are currently on an eight game winning streak and are now the two seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48-22.
Joel Embiid is running away in the MVP race. He leads the league averaging 33.5 points to go along with his 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Embiid has not put up less than 30 points for the entire month of March which has spanned for nine games.
It's clear that Embiid won’t be stopped on Saturday night but the Suns can find other paths to victory. It will take a great game from Booker along with a balanced scoring night from the bench which has been one of Phoenix’s weak points.
If they are to overcome Embiid's powerful surge on offense, the Suns will have to slow down other threats, specifically James Harden and Tyrese Maxey who have helped Embiid reach this MVP status.
