PREVIEW: Suns Look to Gain Momentum vs Jazz

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (17-19) are looking to finally move past a difficult stretch of action lately - as they will take on the embattled Utah Jazz (9-27) this afternoon in part one of a back-to-back in Downtown Phoenix this weekend.

Phoenix is coming off of a victory over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Jazz lost to the Miami Heat on the same night.

The Suns currently lead the season series 2-0 with Utah - putting up 120 and 134 points in the previous meetings, respectively.

The silver lining surrounding Utah as of late is the recent string of games have been more competitive in general - with young prospects such as Keyonte George and Walker Kessler being standouts through the last month (George will not play today).

John Collins - who enjoyed a season-high 29 points against the Suns on December 13 - is out, as will be Jordan Clarkson.

The only blemish on the injury report for Phoenix continues to be Royce O'Neale, who has been upgraded from out to doubtful - which means a return should still come in the near future.

The Suns will also be moving forward with a starting lineup that doesn't feature either Bradley Beal or Jusuf Nurkic - it will be especially fascinating to see if Nurkic plays today after being a healthy scratch in Thursday's contest.

The key to the game for Phoenix today? It's simple.

The Suns absolutely need to start off the game in strong form - as this short-handed Jazz squad still has two to three players that can take over any given game, namely Lauri Markkanen.

If Phoenix can pile up a 30-point quarter with one of the big three members enjoying an efficient start, the ultimate outlook of the game should look favorable for the Suns.

That seems like a gross oversimplification at the surface, but the Suns truly need to take care of business today in as stress-free of a manner as possible.

Suns-Jazz is set to tip off shortly after 3 P.M. Arizona time this afternoon.