The Phoenix Suns will be looking to pick up a fifth win on the bounce when they go head to head with the Philadelphia 76ers at the Footprint Center on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the 76ers have stumbled into the campaign, losing four of their opening five matches, and will aim to get one over the Suns, having lost 115-102 in their first meeting this year back in March.
Match preview
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The Phoenix Suns maintained their impressive results in the West as they rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers 103-97 at the Footprint Center on Saturday night.
Off the back of a 40-point shooting night against the Los Angeles Clippers, Devin Booker dropped a game-high 28 points, including 10 of the Suns 16 in the fourth quarter, to go with nine assists and nine rebounds.
Grayson Allen put in a solid shift off the bench, knocking down a season-high 18 points in just 19 minutes, while Kevin Durant notched 21 points and nine rebounds to finish as one of five Suns players to drop double-digit points.
With the result over the Trail Blazers, Mike Budenholzer's side have now won four games on the spin, having seen off fellow Western Conference contenders Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in their previous three outings.
The Phoenix Suns are currently 5-1 this season to sit second in the Western Conference standings, with their only defeat coming on October 26, when they fell 123-116 against the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena.
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On the other hand, the defeats continued to pile up for a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers side as they fell 124-107 against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.
Having led by as many as nine points in the second quarter, the 76ers failed to sustain their early dominance as Jaren Jackson dropped a game-high 27 points while Ja Morant finished with an 18-point 12-assist double-double to inspire the Grizzlies to back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
With Sunday's result, Nick Nurse's men have lost each of their three games on home court so far, suffering defeats against the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and the Grizzlies, while averaging 103.7 points per game at the S.
The Philadelphia 76ers are now 1-4 to start the season, with their only victory coming on October 27, when they defeated the Indiana Pacers 118-114 in overtime at the Wells Fargo Center.
Philadelphia will commence a three-game West Coast trip with Tuesday's visit to the Footprint Center, where they have lost each of their last five matches since beating the Suns 132-127 in January 2019.
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Team News
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Having initially been listed as questionable on Friday, Bradley Beal returned to action against the Trail Blazers on Saturday night, dropping 15 points in 34 minutes of action.
Beal, who has featured in four of the six matches so far, is averaging 17.2 points per game, the third-highest tally for the Phoenix Suns — only behind Booker's 26.7 and Durant's 25.8.
Josh Okogie has missed Phoenix's start of the season after picking up a right hamstring strain in pre-season but the 26-year-old center is in line to make his return on Tuesday.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, are contending with major injuries, with offseason acquisition Paul George ruled out after picking up a knee injury in the pre-season clash against the Atlanta Hawks on October 15.
Joel Embid was also a notable absentee against the Grizzlies despite participating in a team scrimmage on Friday as the 2023 NBA MVP steps up his recovery from a knee injury that has ruled him out since August.
Phoenix Suns possible starting 5:
Booker, Jones, Nurkic, Beal, Durant
Philadelphia 76ers possible starting 5:
Maxey, Lowry, Drummond, Martin, Oubre
We say: Phoenix Suns to win by 7+ points.
The Phoenix Suns have have put together a solid run of results to start the season and will be backing themselves to see off a shorthanded Philadelphia side who are yet to hit their stride. Injuries to heavy hitters Embid and George have had its toll on the 76ers and we see them struggling at the Footprint Center once again.
Joshua Ojele
