The Phoenix Suns are trying to move up to the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a win tonight, and coach Frank Vogel went with his typical starting lineup to accomplish so:
Devin Booker
Bradley Beal
Grayson Allen
Kevin Durant
Jusuf Nurkic
Allen was cleared to play just before tip-off after being labeled as questionable earlier in the day due to right knee pain, an ailment he appeared to sustain early in last night’s victory over the Indiana Pacers before eventually returning.
The Suns won last night against the Pacers, thanks largely to the efforts of Booker, Beal, and Durant, who appear to be becoming more dangerous with each game.
“Health is the most important thing. We are continuing to evolve and grow as a team, with all of our guys, not just the big three, but the role players, the guys off the bench, like Grayson (Allen), (Jusuf) Nurkic, Eric (Gordon), finding their spots to be effective, and I believe we are really committing to the defensive side of the ball,” Vogel said.
Durant scored 40 points with zero free throw attempts, while Beal contributed 25 points. Booker had a tough shooting night after scoring 52 points on Friday, but he still managed to score 26.
“This is the definition of ‘pick your poison.'” I mean, with everyone coming in with an aggressive mindset, you know it will be difficult to stop, as you have seen. “Late in the game, especially with the spacing out there,” Booker said of Phoenix’s superstar trio.
The Bulls enter tonight’s game as the No. 9 seed in the East, despite missing top SG Zach LaVine for most of the season.
The Suns are attempting to sweep Chicago for the fifth consecutive season; they haven’t lost a game to the Bulls since March 18, 2019, and the presence of Phoenix’s studs, as well as Allen/Nurkic, will look to overpower a Bulls roster with limited firepower.
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