Isaiah Collier Out
Georges Niang Out
Dillon Brooks Questionable
Jalen Green Out
The Suns are heading to Utah tonight. Both teams entered this season with modest expectations, so it should be an evenly matched contest. The Jazz have been slightly hotter out of the gate than anticipated. Walker Kessler has been a major factor in that competitiveness. He’s been a dominant force defensively—securing the paint, rebounding, and setting screens—making him the Swiss Army knife of this team. With Kessler locking things down, players like Keyonte George have more room to grow. He’s started off poorly shooting so far, but his playmaking overall looks excellent. Coupled with Markkanen playing well so far, this team is finally coming together. Will they be playoff contenders? Probably not, but they’ll be a tough opponent most nights.
For the Suns, things haven’t been as peachy. The expectations for this team feel a bit unclear. They’re running out a young, inefficient roster but still seem to aim for the playoffs. With Devin Booker leading the offense, it’s possible, but the defense needs improvement. They’ve given up nearly 125 points a game so far. They can’t stop anyone inside as they try to develop their centers into the rotation. But it looks like Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach might need more time. That’s left Oso Ighodaro to start, which just hasn’t been working. He’s fine in spot minutes, but as the anchor of the defense, it’s been woeful.
This matchup is going to be pretty interesting. Neither of these teams seems confident heading into this game. They both have stars and will need big performances from their young players to compete. Still, even on the road, I trust Devin Booker to lead the way. The Jazz's defense hasn’t been very impressive outside of Kessler. With the backcourt looking quite vulnerable, I expect Booker to have a big impact tonight. On the other hand, the Jazz's scoring talent might not be able to keep up in what I think will be a gritty game. That's why I’m taking the Suns moneyline, the over on the 231.5 points, and the Phoenix spread at +1.5.
Money line: PHO (-102) / UTA (-118)
Total Points: 231.5
Spread: +1.5 PHO (-115) / -1.5 UTA (-105)
George has taken the starting spot a bit earlier than expected this year because Collier is out. However, in his first two games, he’s played well. Looking back at the preseason, George demonstrated his scoring ability. Now, facing a weak defensive backcourt and an untested front court, George should have a strong game. He’s averaging 17 points per game so far, shooting 15% from the three-point line. If he can raise that shooting percentage closer to last year's 34%, he'll be in good shape.
Kessler remains a key player for the Jazz. He’s been a top post defender, averaging 2 blocks and 2.5 steals over their first two games. His minutes stay steady at around 30, which, against Phoenix, should give him plenty of chances on defense. With a less experienced group in Phoenix’s front court, Kessler should be able to put up solid defensive stats again.
Dunn has become an essential part of the Suns. Starting at the power forward spot, he’s been the defensive anchor they’ve needed. But with the center rotation still inconsistent in Phoenix, Dunn has been crucial. He’s averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, and he's exceeded this in all three games he’s played this year. With Oso Ighodaro still expected to start alongside Dunn, and Brooks questionable, there should be plenty of rebounds for Dunn again tonight.
Markkanen has been heating up from the perimeter lately. Averaging 10 three-point attempts per game so far, that number feels unsustainable. He only averaged 8 three attempts a game in limited games last year, so this is probably a downward trend. Even with those extra attempts, he was only able to hit 4 threes in both of their games so far. If that number drops, the under looks much more appealing.