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After starting off the New Year with a routine and not particularly memorable win over the Bulls, the Cavs stay home for their first game of the season against the road weary and banged up Phoenix Suns. The Suns started the season 16-7; since then they are 4-11. They have lost 6 of their last 7. They are a bad road team, going 6-13 away from home. On top of that they will be playing their sixth consecutive road game and looking forward to getting back to some warm desert weather tomorrow.
The Suns’ recent misfortunes are due in large part to losing All-Star guard Devin Booker to injury. Booker is averaging 27.1 points per game and was the last NBA player to score 70 points - until somebody else did it on Monday. The Suns are 18-11 with Booker and 2-7 without him.
Jae Crowder is sitting out the season with a trade demand and Cam Johnson, who started all eight games he played, is also out. The Suns are 6-2 when Johnson plays. So the Suns are missing three starters.
I won’t go over the season averages since the Suns are a completely different team without Booker. In the Suns’ last three games they lost to the Wizards by 25, the Raptors by 9, and the Knicks by 19. The Knicks have the best record of that group at 20-18. The Suns are floundering at the moment and have dropped to 8th place in the West.
The Suns are similar to the Bulls in that they play with one big man (Deandre Ayton, 7’0”) and two forwards that are 6’6” and 6’7” (Mikal Bridges and Torrey Craig). The guards are 6’0” and 6’4” (Chris Paul and Landry Shamet). Craig is 32 and has a career scoring average of 5.9 points, but he is hitting 39% of his 3’s this year. Bridges is having a good season at 15.6 points and nearly 40% from deep. Ayton is averaging 17.5 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Against the Knicks two nights ago the 37-year-old Paul was a -38 in 30 minutes. Paul’s shooting percentage has dropped from the 49-50% range the last three years to 41% this year. His assists, steals, and scoring averages are all down from last year.
Their only big man off the bench is 6’10” journeyman Dario Saric, who averages 3.5 points, unless you count 6’8” Bismack Biyombo, who averages 3.6.
So everything points to a Cavs win - they are catching the Suns at the best possible time with Booker out and the Suns at the end of a long road trip. The Cavs hit the road for a game against 24-13 Denver on Friday so it wouldn’t surprise me if they decided to give Garland and Mobley another two days of rest against a very beatable opponent at the end of a long road trip.
These teams play again in Phoenix on Sunday night.
The Suns’ recent misfortunes are due in large part to losing All-Star guard Devin Booker to injury. Booker is averaging 27.1 points per game and was the last NBA player to score 70 points - until somebody else did it on Monday. The Suns are 18-11 with Booker and 2-7 without him.
Jae Crowder is sitting out the season with a trade demand and Cam Johnson, who started all eight games he played, is also out. The Suns are 6-2 when Johnson plays. So the Suns are missing three starters.
I won’t go over the season averages since the Suns are a completely different team without Booker. In the Suns’ last three games they lost to the Wizards by 25, the Raptors by 9, and the Knicks by 19. The Knicks have the best record of that group at 20-18. The Suns are floundering at the moment and have dropped to 8th place in the West.
The Suns are similar to the Bulls in that they play with one big man (Deandre Ayton, 7’0”) and two forwards that are 6’6” and 6’7” (Mikal Bridges and Torrey Craig). The guards are 6’0” and 6’4” (Chris Paul and Landry Shamet). Craig is 32 and has a career scoring average of 5.9 points, but he is hitting 39% of his 3’s this year. Bridges is having a good season at 15.6 points and nearly 40% from deep. Ayton is averaging 17.5 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Against the Knicks two nights ago the 37-year-old Paul was a -38 in 30 minutes. Paul’s shooting percentage has dropped from the 49-50% range the last three years to 41% this year. His assists, steals, and scoring averages are all down from last year.
Their only big man off the bench is 6’10” journeyman Dario Saric, who averages 3.5 points, unless you count 6’8” Bismack Biyombo, who averages 3.6.
So everything points to a Cavs win - they are catching the Suns at the best possible time with Booker out and the Suns at the end of a long road trip. The Cavs hit the road for a game against 24-13 Denver on Friday so it wouldn’t surprise me if they decided to give Garland and Mobley another two days of rest against a very beatable opponent at the end of a long road trip.
These teams play again in Phoenix on Sunday night.
