Breaking Down Suns' In-Season Tournament Slate
The Phoenix Suns announced the dates for their group play matchups in the first ever NBA in-season tournament. The four games will be played in a two-week span from November 10-24. The Suns must either finish with the best record in the group or be selected as the singular "wild card" team from the West to advance to the quarterfinal stage.
Schedule:
Fri., Nov. 10: Los Angeles Lakers
Footprint Center, Phoenix 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 17: Utah Jazz
Delta Center, Salt Lake City 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Nov. 21: Portland Trail Blazers
Footprint Center, Phoenix 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 24 Memphis Grizzlies
FedEx Forum, Memphis 3:00 p.m.
This group sets up nicely for Phoenix on paper, but it won't be a seamless race to the top of the group.
Now let's take a look at each matchup, do a quick breakdown of each opponent, and predict the outcome of every game.
LA Lakers
The Lakers overachieved last season, advancing to the Western Conference Finals as a play-in team. Although headlined by the LeBron James-Anthony Davis duo, the Lakers surprisingly boast a strong array of role players. Austin Reaves has broke on the scene as a reliable all-around player, Gabe Vincent is riding high from a strong showing in the playoffs with Miami, and Rui Hachimura seemingly became the player he was expected to be when drafted by Washington.
The Lakers aren't a great shooting team, but they play a balanced brand of team-ball on offense and are a strong defensive team. This will likely be the most difficult game of the group stage, but Phoenix should win due to the home court advantage coupled with the firepower of the newfound big three.
Prediction- Suns win by 7
Utah Jazz
The Jazz are another team who overachieved last season. Many thought the team would bottom out when team President Danny Ainge decided to move on from stars such as Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but this team was extremely competitive.
They came within striking distance of making the play-in behind an all-star breakout from forward Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz are another team that runs a balanced offense, and are a surprisingly potent offense for possessing one star and a bunch of good role players. Their defense is fairly average, but don't discount this scrappy squad that tends to play hard from opening tip to final buzzer. The Suns still should pull through in the end.
Prediction- Suns win by 9
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers underachieved heavily last season, and might be one of the worst teams in basketball this season, assuming Damian Lillard's departure is imminent. Even with Dame's expected departure, Portland possess three high-upside guards in Shaedon Sharp, Scoot Henderson, and Anfernee Simons. Despite the potent guard lineup, the wing and big rotations are quite weak. This game should be a breeze for Phoenix.
Prediction- Suns win by 20
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies will be without star guard Ja Morant, who's serving a 25-game suspension, for this game. The Grizzlies have proven to be a tough team to beat even without Morant, however. Taylor Jenkins is a very good coach, they possess the last two defensive player of the year winners, and have a roster that likely runs 10-deep. This game will likely come down to the wire, but Phoenix has a good chance to finish the group stage undefeated.
Prediction- Suns win by 4
