On Friday, the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz lit up the scoreboard with a crazy number of three-pointers, tying an NBA record. Both teams drained 22 shots from beyond the arc, combining for 44 total made, in the Suns’ 134–126 win. Phoenix hit 22 of 45 (49%) while Utah was even hotter, going 22 of 39 (56%). But despite their insane shooting, neither team broke the record for most threes in a game—Boston and Milwaukee still share that honor with 29!
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Devin Booker led the Suns with a game-high 34 points and 8 assists. So far in the 2024-25 season, only 3 Suns players — D-Book, Tyus Jones, and Royce O’Neale—have appeared in all 24 games. Booker said, “We’ve been in that situation already this season.”
What exactly is Booker talking about? Argh, another game where the Suns’ big three will not be sharing the court.
Bradley Beal‘s status for Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers (8-17) is still up in the air. The Suns (13-11) star guard was a late scratch on Friday, missing the 134-126 win over the Jazz because of right knee swelling. Beal participated in Saturday’s shootaround but will be a game-time decision, with no shootaround scheduled on Sunday due to the 6 p.m. tipoff at Footprint Center.
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer revealed that Beal started feeling knee discomfort between Thursday and Friday morning. While the team traveled on Thursday, they didn’t practice, and Beal was not listed on the injury report. However, he had to leave the Friday morning shootaround early. By the afternoon, he was marked as questionable and ultimately didn’t play in the Suns’ win that snapped their three-game losing streak.
Collin Gillespie fractured his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Although the Suns announced this on November 12, the hoopster continues to remain out.
Can the Phoenix Suns win without Bradley Beal?
The Trail Blazers are hoping to snap a five-game losing streak when they take on the Suns on Sunday, December 15, at Footprint Center. Despite their tough season, the Blazers have shown some flashes of potential. Led by Scoot Henderson, who averages 5.1 assists per game, Portland’s young talent might have the opportunity to exploit Phoenix’s defensive struggles.
The Suns, although boasting a solid offensive game with an average of 113.9 points per contest, have been inconsistent recently. They’ve gone 4-8 over their last 12 games and tend to let teams score, allowing 114.4 points per game, ranking 19th in the NBA.
Here’s how the Suns depth chart looks before this matchup.
| POSITION | STARTER | 2nd | 3rd |
| PG | Tyus Jones | Devin Booker | Monte Morris |
| SG | Devin Booker | Grayson Allen | Bradley Beal (DD) |
| SF | Bradley Beal (DD) | Royce O’Neale | Josh Okogie |
| PF | Kevin Durant | Ryan Dunn | Oso Ighodaro |
| C | Jusuf Nurkic | Mason Plumlee | Oso Ighodaro |
Portland has the chance to capitalize on Phoenix’s weaknesses. The Blazers can take advantage of the Suns’ high turnover rate and inconsistent defense. If they can keep up the pressure and play their cards right, they might just pull off an upset.
As the underdogs, Portland has nothing to lose and could surprise the Suns!
However, Phoenix has dominated the recent matchups, winning their last 3 games against the Blazers. With a home-court advantage and Portland’s 4-game road losing streak, the Suns are still the favorites in this Western Conference showdown.
Phoenix’s offensive strength and Portland’s defensive issues, particularly allowing opponents to shoot 47.5% from the field, further tilt the scales in favor of Bradley Beal and Co. Still, anything can happen on game day. What’s your prediction?