Who: Phoenix Suns (15-16) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (22-11)
When: 7:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: AZFamily, Suns Live
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Fair warning: joy is in short supply here. I think I’m entering my Reputation era…
The 2024 year is coming to a close, and personally, I’m thankful that we can put this one to bed. It’s been a rough one for Suns fans. We lost Dave King, Walter Davis, Al McCoy, and Dick Van Arsdale this past year. Emotions were high as we looked to the team to assist us in healing the wounds. But they didn’t. A sweep in the playoffs. A sub-.500 season through 31 games. A franchise with little hope and even less desirable assets. Yayyyy us.
The Phoenix Suns have been decidedly average as they head into their final game of the season. In the calendar year of 2024, they’ve played 54 games, posting a .593 winning percentage, which is the 22nd-best calendar year in franchise history. For context, their best year came in 2007, when they dominated with a 68-27 record and a .716 winning percentage. Despite boasting the highest payroll in NBA history, this Suns team has delivered results that can only be described as “mid.”
So here we are, hoping the team can turn a corner, excited with every win for we feel this could finally be it. But they don’t. Christmas was a mirage. New Years? I’m guessing another reminder. It’s a game we’ve played all 2024 long, one where we think they’ve figured something out but haven’t. And it’s been exhausting.
To end the year, the Suns welcome the 22-11 Memphis Grizzlies, a team many forgot as Ja Morant dealt with legal issues and injuries a season ago. They finished 13th last season after being the second-best team in the Western Conference in 2022-23. And wouldn’t you know it? That’s right where they are again. Second place.
How did the Grizzlies climb back to claim the second seed and win at a .667 clip? Simple. They embody everything the Suns lack (and everything we wish they would): leadership, hustle, chemistry, and a clear identity. On top of that, from a broader perspective, they’ve managed to stay under the second tax apron while maintaining valuable draft capital.
Sigh…
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Grayson Allen — PROBABLE (Concussion Protocol)
- Bol Bol — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Contusion)
- Devin Booker — QUESTIONABLE (Left Groin Soreness)
- Jusuf Nurkic — OUT (Borderline Assault)
- Collin Gillespie — OUT (Right Ankle Fracture)
Grizzlies
- Ja Morant — OUT (Right AC Joint Sprain)
- Marcus Smart — OUT (Right Index Finger; Partial Extensor Hood Tear)
- Santi Aldama — OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
- Brandon Clarke — OUT (Right Soleus Strain)
- GG Jackson — OUT (Right Fifth Metatarsal Repair)
- Jake LaRavia — OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
- Vince Williams, Jr. — OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
Uniform Matchup
What to Watch For
Pace
And I ain’t talkin’ picante sauce hear.
The Grizzlies? They live to run, sprinting their way to the top of the league in pace, and because they never stop, they chuck up the second-most shots per game. That relentless pressure? It doesn’t just test your stamina, it earns them the third-most free throw attempts in the NBA. And now they’re licking their chops at a Suns defense that bleeds 49 points in the paint per game, ranking a pitiful 20th in the league. With no Jusuf Nurkic to anchor the middle, it’s open season in the lane.
But hey, no big deal, right? The Suns crawl along at the 25th pace in the league, which is great…until they decide to press. Then it’s comedy hour, as the ball inevitably finds its way into the hands of the opposition. And wouldn’t you know it, this particular opponent is 8th in steals and 4th in fast break points. Translation? It’s going to be a long, chaotic night of watching Memphis dunk their way through Phoenix’s paper-thin defense.
Injuries
Ah, the injury report. A tale as old as time this season. Both squads are battered, bruised, and missing key players. Devin Booker might make a return, but let’s be real: with the Suns off until Saturday, are they really going to risk it? Doubtful. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, are operating without a laundry list of talent, headlined by the absent Ja Morant.
So here we are again. Another hobbled team stumbles into the Footprint Center, ripe for the picking. The Suns will trot out two of their Big Three. That should seal the deal, right? Wrong. Not when this team has a knack for turning confidence into complacency and managing to fumble even the basics. Because nothing screams “we’re contenders” like finding new ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Key to a Suns Win
Oh, you know. Hit their threes. Play with hustle on the defensive end. Don’t turn the ball over.
Prediction
The Suns will do two of the three things above because that’s what they always do. But they won’t do the third thing, and they’ll not do it so badly, it’ll cost them the game.
Grizzlies 116, Suns 109
