Preview: Suns Host Magic

The Phoenix Suns (16-15) are looking to ride the string of two consecutive strong performances to yet another victory against the upstart Orlando Magic (19-12).

This matchup has become increasingly intriguing in recent weeks - especially behind the Suns' inconsistent on-court product and the Magic's unexpected emergence at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Phoenix looks to ring in 2024 with a big win against a quality team, and though this game is certainly winnable, it won't come easy.

Three storylines/things to watch going into the game:

Magic's Season In-Focus

Orlando is undoubtedly one of the surprises of the season thus far. A fair amount of pundits saw them as a team that could sneak into a play-in spot in 2024, and expand on that in future seasons.

Not many saw a legitimate top-six seeded playoff squad coming in.

The Magic are a team that is disciplined, well coached, and deep. Coach Jamahl Mosley has utilized eleven different players as consistent pieces in his rotation, which doesn't include either Wendell Carter Jr. or Markelle Fultz as both players have battled lingering injuries.

One glaring weakness the Magic have is three-point shooting - or a lack thereof.

Orlando enters Sunday evening's game posting the worst three-point percentage in the NBA at just over 33%. Only one player is shooting north of 40% in Joe Ingles.

The Suns can perhaps exploit this very obvious weakness and use it to their advantage, as Phoenix's past two performances have been backed by impeccable efforts from three-point range.

Suns' Fifth Starter Set?

The Phoenix Suns and head coach Frank Vogel have likely settled on the fifth starter when the team is fully together - Grayson Allen.

Vogel had nothing but high praise for the veteran guard out of Duke in his pre-game presser on Friday night while announcing that Allen would in fact be joining the starting five.

Allen has been a revelation for the Suns this season - averaging a career high in points, assists, and rebounds all while possessing 50/40/90 shooting splits.

He has also notably played hard-nosed defense.

Allen looks to be the guy to complete the Suns starting lineup for the remainder of the season, though it is a nice luxury to have Eric Gordon and perhaps even Chimezie Metu to insert into the lineup as well if Allen misses a game or those players match-up better against an opposing team.

Player to Watch: Paolo Banchero

The number one overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is having a very strong sophomore campaign.

Banchero currently leads Orlando in scoring (21.5 PPG), rebounding (6.9 RPG), and assists (4.6).

The Duke product has seen a significant uptick in three-point efficiency, going from 29.8% in his rookie campaign to 35.8% from behind the arc this season.

Banchero's free-throw and two-point efficiency have gone down slightly, but he still remains the best scorer on an Orlando squad that struggles much more offensively than defensively.

The Magic aren't going to live-or-die by Banchero - they once again are a very deep squad - but Paolo profiles as the best chance the squad has to generate enough points to get the best of the Suns.

The Suns and Magic are set to tip off shortly after 6 PM Arizona time.