Defense or disaster? The Suns must rise to the challenge against Memphis.
Who: Phoenix Suns (30-34) @ Memphis Grizzlies (40-24)
When: 5:00pm Arizona Time
Where: FedExForum — Memphis, Tennessee
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV / Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Phoenix heads to Memphis for the second night of a back-to-back, facing a Grizzlies team in the same grind. Memphis took down the Pelicans yesterday and now returns home, where they’ve built a formidable 22-10 record. Sitting just a game behind the Lakers and Nuggets, they’re clawing for the No. 2 seed, knowing every win strengthens their grip on home-court advantage.
For the Suns? Their win over a depleted Mavericks squad kept them afloat, but with just 18 games left, they’re teetering 1.5 games outside the 10th seed. Their fight isn’t about seeding. It’s about survival, scraping for a ticket to the play-in and a shot at extending their season.
The stakes are clear. One team is climbing, the other is clinging. And if history holds, Phoenix has an uphill battle ahead. Memphis has taken all three matchups this season.
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Bradley Beal — OUT (Left Calf)
- Cody Martin — OUT (G League Assignment)
- Monte Morris — DOUBTFUL (Low Back; Injury Management)
Grizzlies
- Santi Aldama — OUT (Right Calf)
- Brandon Clarke — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee)
- Zach Edey — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle)
- Jaren Jackson, Jr. — OUT (Left Ankle)
- Luke Kennard — OUT (Low Back)
- Zyon Pullen — OUT (Right Patellar; Tendon Surgery Recovery)
- Vince Williams, Jr. — QUESTIONABLE (Right Foot)
Uniform Matchup
What to Watch For
Memphis, despite dropping four of their last six, thrives on relentless pressure and breakneck pace to dismantle defenses. They lead the league in pace and get to the free-throw line more than anyone (24.2 attempts per game).
Their approach is blunt but effective: attack, force rotations, and exploit the compromised interior. That aggression fuels their success inside, ranking second in the NBA with 57.3 points in the paint per night. The Grizzlies attack the paint more than anyone, leading the league with 60.8 drives per game. And while they sit just 14th in three-point attempts (37.3), they make them count, connecting at a solid 36.5% (11th in the league).
You don’t need me to tell you why that’s a problem for Phoenix. You’ve seen it all year.
Teams that pressure the paint against the Suns often find wide-open shooters on the perimeter. Phoenix surrenders 49.7 points in the paint per game (19th in the NBA), and that’s where the trouble starts. If they can disrupt Memphis’ interior dominance and stay disciplined on the inevitable kick-outs to three-point shooters, they might just have a fighting chance.
Key to a Suns Win
Defend.
Memphis will apply relentless pressure, testing Phoenix’s discipline at every turn. The question is, can the Suns hold up? Can they disrupt the Grizzlies’ interior attack without sacrificing the perimeter? On the second night of a back-to-back, fatigue will be a factor for both teams, but will Phoenix have enough in the tank to withstand Memphis’ relentless pace? Or will the Grizzlies simply run them into the ground?
The formula is clear: defense fuels offense.
If the Suns can lock in on that end, get stops, and turn them into transition opportunities, they give themselves a fighting chance. But if they lose focus for even a stretch, Memphis will exploit it. Because that’s what they do.
Prediction
I don’t see it happening. Nothing Phoenix has done this season suggests they can sustain the level of defensive effort required to win this game.
They’ll hang around. They always do. This is a team with enough offensive firepower to keep things interesting. But Memphis will keep pushing, keep running, keep attacking, until the Suns have nothing left to give. Eventually, the legs go, the closeouts get slower, and the breakdowns begin. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.
Grizzlies 122, Suns 113
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