PREMIUM
Take #521 Suns over Knicks
(NBA) Phoenix vs. New York,
Point Spread: 3.50 | -110.00 Phoenix (Away)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 3.50 | -110.00 Phoenix (Away)
Result: Win
The Phoenix Suns will take the court Sunday night two days removed from keeping alive their hopes of advancing beyond group play in the NBA in-season tournament. Stunningly, so will the New York Knicks. The Knicks will look to build on a dramatic comeback win when they host the Suns in the first game of the season between the teams. Both teams were off Saturday after earning pivotal wins Friday. The visiting Suns completed West Group A play by cruising past the Memphis Grizzlies 110-89. The host Knicks overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit to edge the Miami Heat, 100-98. The Suns have a 3-1 record in the in-season tournament, one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers. But with a plus-34 point differential, Phoenix is well-positioned to earn the wild-card berth into the knockout round. The top second-place team in the Western Conference is assured of finishing with no better than a 3-1 record. Through Friday, the Suns had a better point differential than the 3-0 Sacramento Kings (plus-29) as well as the 2-1 Houston Rockets (plus-16), the 2-1 Golden State Warriors (plus-5) and the 2-1 Minnesota Timberwolves (minus-3). With the point differential in mind, the Suns ended the lopsided win over the Grizzlies with four starters on the court - including star shooting guard Devin Booker, who scored nine of Phoenix's final 12 points over the final 3:53. He closed out the scoring by banking in a 27-foot 3-pointer for the game's final points with 13 seconds left. We think he and the Suns show up here and ball out and do well. Let's roll with the Suns here on Sunday.