The Phoenix Suns bring their three-game home run to an end when they go head to head with the Memphis Grizzlies at the Footprint Center on Tuesday night.
There have been just two meetings between the two Western Conference sides since 2023, with the Grizzlies coming out on top in both games, and they will be looking to extend this run in Arizona.
Match preview
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The Phoenix Suns shot 38% from the field on Saturday night as they suffered a 122-102 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets when the two Western Conference sides squared off at the Footprint Center.
Jamal Murray hit three 3-pointers on his first three shots to put Denver on a 13-5 run to start the contest while reigning MVP Nikola Jokic finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and one assist shy of his 25th triple-double of the campaign, despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
With key starters Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal sitting out a second consecutive game, Bol Bol tallied a season-high 19 points while floor general Devin Booker led the Suns with 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting.
Prior to that, Mike Budenholzer's men had to dig deep to secure a physically demanding 135-137 victory over the Utah Jazz in overtime on February 8, a result which saw their run of three back-to-back defeats come to an end.
The Phoenix Suns are now 26-26 from the 52 games this season to sit 10th in the Western Conference standings, tied on a 0.500 winning percentage with ninth-placed Sacramento Kings and 11th-placed Golden State Warriors just outside the play-in qualifying places.
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On the other hand, the Memphis Grizzlies failed to close the gap on Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder as they fell to a 125-112 loss in their top-of-the-table clash at the FedExForum on Saturday night.
Memphis' only lead in the game came from the opening basket when Desmond Bane hit his jumper as the Thunder turned in another dominant display on the road to pick up a fifth victory on the bounce since their 116-109 loss against the Golden State Warriors on January 30.
Bane led the Grizzlies in scoring with 20 points on 47% field goal but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32), Aaron Wiggins (26) and Jalen Williams (25) all finished with 25+ points for Oklahoma.
Taylor Jenkins' men had won each of their previous four games, seeing off the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers while averaging 129.5 points across the four outings.
The Grizzlies are now 35-17 from their 52 games this season to sit second in the Western Conference standings, seven wins behind OKC in first place and just one above third-placed Denver Nuggets.
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Team News
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Durant continues his spell on the sidelines, having missed the last two games through an ankle injury and the 36-year-old remains out of contention for the Phoenix Suns.
Fellow veteran Beal also sustained a toe injury in the game against the Thunder on February 6 and the 31-year-old is considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's matchup.
Jalen Bridges missed the clash versus the Nuggets last time out due to illness and is also a doubt for the hosts while guard Allen Grayson is currently dealing with a knee problem.
The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, will have to cope without 25-year-old Marvin Bagley III, who is yet to feature this year having sustained a knee injury in December.
Cam Spencer has missed each of the last 15 games since sustaining a thumb injury against the Dallas Mavericks on January 7 and the 24-year-old is also ruled out of Wednesday's game.
Phoenix Suns possible starting 5:
Booker, Jones, Dunn, Richards, O'Neale
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting 5:
Morant, Bane, Edey, Wells, Jackson Jr
We say: The Memphis Grizzlies to win by 5+ points.
It has been a rough two weeks for the Phoenix Suns who have managed just two wins in their last seven games while losing two key starters to injury in that time. The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, are on a 10-2 run since mid-January and we are backing them to bounce back from Sunday's loss against OKC with a third straight win over the hosts.
Joshua Ojele
