Phoenix Suns: Three Keys to Victory vs San Antonio Spurs
The Phoenix Suns are set to face the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 7:00 PM PST hoping to tie a season best six-game winning streak. A win tonight would also seal a top-six spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Here's three keys to victory:
Lock down the bench
In the Spurs last game against the Sacramento Kings, Doug McDermott’s 30 points and Julian Champagnie’s 26 points helped carry San Antonio to a win over the Sacramento Kings.
Both of these players came off the bench and only played 28 minutes each. If the Suns don’t contain the Spurs bench it could be a recipe for disaster.
The Spurs rank second in bench scoring, averaging 42.4 per game so their second unit surely does have the ability to steal a game.
Players like Torrey Craig and T.J. Warren will play a huge role in determining the fate of this game as they are the main wing defenders on the second unit.
Don’t underestimate opponent
While the Spurs are currently at the bottom of the Western Conference with a record of 20-58, It's important that the Suns come out strong right out the gate.
With their last win against the Kings, San Antonio has shown they are capable of beating the top teams in the NBA especially with Gregg Popovich coaching.
Phoenix is clearly the more talented team so creating a commanding lead early will set the tone for the entirety of the game.
The Suns have only a 22-22 record against below .500 teams which is not a great sign heading into this matchup but if they start the game off well and dominate they way they should none of that will matter.
Continue feeding the hot hand
Over the Suns’ past two games, Kevin Durant has been on fire.
Durant’s 30 point performance against the Denver Nuggets on Friday and 35 points in Oklahoma City on Sunday shows that he is fully healthy.
Durant is starting to hit a groove and is looking fresher than ever so it will be important to run the offense through him which will give Phoenix the best opportunity to win.
Not to mention, the Suns only have four games remaining so giving Durant as many touches as possible will help him as well as the rest of the team prepare for a deep playoff run.
