Preview of Upcoming Suns Homestand

The Phoenix Suns are set to be at home for the next week and a half after a brief road victory over the Houston Rockets.

The Suns - sitting at 15-15 - have a huge opportunity to build positive momentum during this upcoming six-game homestand.

This string of home games will see a good mix of East/West teams and playoff/lottery teams, which serves the Suns well moving forward.

Phoenix will have opportunities to pad their win total against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, while also having battle-tested squads such as the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat next week.

A brief preview of all six contests:

Friday, Dec. 29: Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are one of the worst teams in basketball and are sitting at a 7-21 mark so far this season.

The team has been without star PG LaMelo Ball in recent weeks as Ball suffered another serious ankle sprain.

There truthfully isn't much to be excited about when it comes to Charlotte's prospects aside from Brandon Miller and Mark Williams.

Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been a key cog in the Hornets' rotation thus far - though he is currently battling through an ankle injury.

This game also marks the potential return of star guard Bradley Beal from an ankle sprain he suffered on December 15.

Sunday, Dec. 31: Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have been among the biggest surprises of the NBA season.

The Magic currently sit at 18-12. The team has slid a bit in recent games - mostly paid against the upper-echelon teams in the East such as the Milwaukee Bucks.

Orlando remains one of the best defenses and one of the deepest teams in the league despite recent losses.

Orlando is led by a pair of 20-PPG scorers in Paolo Banchero/Franz Wagner and have four other players averaging 10+ per night.

The game is set to tip off at 6:00 PM Arizona time on New Year's Eve.

Monday, Jan. 1: Portland Trail Blazers

The Suns and Trail Blazers have met twice already this season, splitting the two matchups.

Phoenix beat Portland 120-107 in an In-Season Tournament group stage game on November 21 while Portland took advantage of a second-half Suns collapse to win 109-104 on December 19.

Portland is one of the worst teams in the NBA along with Charlotte, sitting at 8-21.

The Blazers are a bad team, but the talent on their roster is good enough to steal some unexpected wins, as Suns fans saw last week.

Shaedon Sharpe and Deandre Ayton are currently out with injuries, so their status for the game on Monday could be in-the-air.

Wednesday, Jan 3: LA Clippers

This will surprisingly be the first time the Suns and Clippers have met in the 2023-24 campaign.

Los Angeles notably traded for James Harden earlier in the season, and recently gained their footing after a shaky start behind the efforts of their big-three.

The Clippers currently sit at 18-12.

Perhaps the most surprising development for the Clippers this season has been the continued health of star duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The stars have only missed a total of five games between them this season.

The Suns and Clippers are set to tip off around 7:00 PM Arizona time.

Friday, Jan 5: Miami Heat

The Suns will get their first crack at the defending Eastern Conference champions next Friday night.

The Heat have rebounded nicely from a shaky start, sitting at 18-12 (the same as the Magic and Clippers) thus far.

The resurgence of the Heat is behind the efforts of Bam Adebayo, who has quietly put together a stronger season than Jimmy Butler, rising star Tyler Herro, and rookie phenom Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Miami is always a tough team to beat on a game-to-game basis, as Erik Spoelstra-coached teams nearly always play both hard and disciplined.

This contest will be a strong test for the Suns, and perhaps a litmus test for the rest of the month.

The Suns and Heat are set to tip off shortly after 7:00 PM Arizona time.

Sunday, Jan 7: Memphis Grizzlies

This game will mark the final time the two squads will face each other this season.

The Suns largely controlled the previous two matchups, winning 110-89 on November 24 and 116-109 on December 2.

Those two matchups saw a much different Grizzlies squad, however.

The Grizzlies were notably without star PG Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season, and he finally returned to action last Tuesday.

The dynamic guard is a historically great finisher, a savvy passer, and one of the best athletes in the entire NBA.

His return also means co-stars Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. can play their more natural roles, along with opening up the court for several role players, such as Vince Williams Jr.

The Grizzlies still sit at only 10-19 through today, but they have been notably better since Morant's return. This game shouldn't be taken lightly.

The Suns and Grizzlies will tip off shortly after 6:00 PM Arizona time.