PREVIEW: Suns Face Cavaliers in Big Matchup

The Suns are looking to pull off a huge upset tonight.

Jan 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) defends Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (33-37) are continuing the push to make the play-in tournament - tonight one of the NBA's elite in the Cleveland Cavaliers (56-13) is coming to town for the second meeting between the two squads this season.

Phoenix is coming off of two consecutive victories, while Cleveland has dropped two in a row in an unusual skid.

Cleveland won the first meeting between the two on January 20 by a score of 118-92 - and the Cavs will be largely healthy tonight, as they are only set to be without G-League players.

Phoenix will be without Bradley Beal and Mason Plumlee, while Grayson Allen's status is still in the air.

A brief preview of the night ahead awaits:

Battle of Elite Talent

The major headline in tonight's matchup is quite possibly the sheer collection of elite talent between both sides.

Cleveland has thrived behind All-Star seasons from Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, while Donovan Mitchell is poised to once again make an All-NBA team. Phoenix continues to roster one of the greatest players of all-time in Kevin Durant, while Devin Booker ranks in the top 10 in both scoring and assist numbers despite this season being considered a "down" one.

Don't forget about Ty Jerome, Jarrett Allen, Royce O'Neale, or Ryan Dunn either - this will be a battle of quality talent all-around and should yield a more enticing game compared to the first meeting.

Player to Watch: De'Andre Hunter

Hunter has been nothing short of phenomenal since being acquired by Cleveland at the trade deadline.

The former lottery pick has slotted in as a lower-volume offensive piece, but the efficiency has largely remained - and the Virginia product has been an ideal fit in what is consistently one of the more fierce defensive attacks around the league.

Hunter will likely see significant run tonight against a less athletic Suns squad - it will be of great importance for Phoenix to find ways to neutralize this advantage.

Prediction: Cavaliers Win

Expect a seemingly rejuvenated Suns squad to come into this game intrinsically motivated to secure the victory. Expect more competitive output against a high-level opponent.

At the end of the day, it feels like Cleveland's talent will be able to win out against a Suns squad that has more to play for - but ultimately less to work with roster-wise.

Suns-Cavs is set to tip-off shortly after 7 P.M. Arizona time tonight.