Suns' Keys to Victory vs Blazers

The Phoenix Suns - and specifically their big three - have appeared to found a groove after a handful of games together.

The breakout game in question came on Thursday night in a resounding victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, a night where Bradley Beal experienced the best game to date in a Suns uniform.

While that game in particular might eventually mark an evident turning point, the big three and team at-large must start exhibiting consistency. That starts tonight.

Three keys for the Suns to assure victory tonight:

Keep Flow of Offense Natural, but Emphasize Beal

The Suns found a potential recipe for success against the Lakers in letting Durant sit back and pick his spots while the backcourt duo of Beal/Booker get into their own groove.

Durant is the rare superstar that can give number one option production on number three option volume - and that will be invaluable as the big three continues to grow as a unit.

This game in particular against a porous Portland defense feels like one in which the Suns should emphasize Beal early and continue to work him into the offense in a natural fashion that won't necessarily cut the other stars volume.

Push the Pace

There aren't many things Portland is obtusely strong at in any aspect of the game, but one noticeable one is that they rank sixth in offensive rebounds per game at 12.3.

The Blazers being opportunistic on the glass is a double-edged sword.

While Portland can create more opportunities for young stud Anfernee Simons and others, it also gives the Suns potential ammo to leak out and exploit the aggressiveness.

While the Suns continue to rank near the bottom of the league in pace, Booker remains one of the strongest players in the world in transition. The Suns possess a bevy of strong three-point shooters.

Kevin Durant and Eric Gordon have also shown the willingness and ability to attack the hoop in transition opportunities as well- even in small samples.

Phoenix simply could overrun Portland with volume.

Continue to Boost Three-Point Volume

The Suns had one of their highest three-point volume games of the season against the Lakers - attempting 39 and hitting 14.

While the Suns are efficient from behind the arc, they rank in the bottom five of volume.

The truth is there's far too many strong shooters on the court to bypass threes for less efficient shots.

Most of Phoenix's outside of the core five of Durant, Booker, Beal, Allen, and Gordon (all shooting over 37%) have struggled from behind the arc- but the elite spacing the big three provides should be able to open up numerous opportunities for the duo of elite role players to beat teams themselves.

The game against Portland once again figures to be one in which the Suns can continue to work out various kinks in their offense - particularly shot distribution, shot diet, and usage.

Allen and Gordon could see increased shot volume against an overmatched Portland defense.