Game Preview: After an emotional win Suns must refocus against Denver

Can the Suns survive the back-to-back grind against the Nuggets?

Who: Phoenix Suns (26-25) vs. Denver Nuggets (33-19)

When: 7:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona

Watch: AZFamily, Suns Live

Listen: KMVP 98.7

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Some victories just matter more, and last night’s win over the Utah Jazz felt like one of them. A game-saving, Rex Chapman-esque fadeaway three from Grayson Allen with 0.9 seconds left to force overtime? It’s the kind of moment that sticks. In a season largely devoid of memorable highlights, this was one to hold onto.

But as Suns fans know all too well, joy is fleeting. Just like the dominant win over Golden State last week, a night of pure elation, only to be followed by a gut-punch loss in Portland. Tonight, reality knocks again as the Suns welcome the Denver Nuggets to town. The third seed in the West. A team on a five-game tear, sitting 6.5 games ahead of Phoenix in the standings.

So yeah, last night was fun. It was great to see Grayson Allen crack jokes about the locker room not being toxic (take that, Ramona Shelburne). Bottle that joy. Savor it. Because the grind doesn’t stop. Tonight, we’re right back in it.

Probable Starters

Injury Report

Suns

• Kevin Durant — QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle)
• Bradley Beal — QUESTIONABLE (Left Toe)
• Grayson Allen — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee)
• Cody Martin — OUT (Trade Pending)
• Vasilije Micic — OUT (Trade Pending)

Nuggets

• Vlatko Cancar — OUT (Left Knee)
• Aaron Gordon — PROBABLE (Right Calf)
• DaRon Holmes — OUT (Right Achilles)
• Jamal Murray — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee)
• Michael Porter, Jr. — QUESTIONABLE (Left Hamstring)
• Peyton Watson — OUT (Right Knee)
• Russell Westbrook — OUT (Left Hamstring)

Uniform Matchup

What to Watch For

It’ll be interesting to see who actually suits up for Denver tonight, with three of their five starters listed as day-to-day. That said, Phoenix has a real shot in this one. Yes, they’re on the second night of a back-to-back, coming off an emotional win over the lowly Jazz, but at least they’re not facing a team that’s significantly younger and more athletic, a common Achilles’ heel for this squad.

What they are facing, however, is a two-time MVP who dissects defenses like a surgeon.

Watch Nikola Jokić tonight. Watch what the Suns attempt to do to slow him down, knowing full well they won’t be able to. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.3 assists this season. The Joker is unreal. So just sit back and watch the show.

Key to a Suns Win

The Nuggets aren’t a team that’s going to try and bury you from beyond the arc. While they lead the league in assists per game, they also lead in two-point attempts while ranking dead last in three-point attempts. Their offense thrives on movement—constant motion, precise passing, and relentless off-ball action. They create chaos for opposing defenses because the moment you hesitate, they exploit it. A back cut here, a dribble handoff there—Denver plays a beautiful, seamless style of basketball.

The key to winning tonight? Bomb away from deep. The Suns will have to hit at least 20 threes to have a real shot because stopping the league’s third-best offense simply isn’t happening. Denver averages 120.8 points per game. That’s not a number this Suns defense, fresh off giving up 127 to the Utah Jazz, is built to contain.

Prediction

I want to win. I want a repeat of Christmas, a night where the Suns laid it all on the line and delivered a late-game victory that felt like a gift. But it’s hard to predict a W in this one.

If the Suns give up 30+ points in three separate quarters (which feels inevitable at this point), they’re not winning this game. Simple as that.

Nuggets 125, Suns 118

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