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Phoenix Suns (33-30) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-25)
Game Time: Saturday, Mar. 7th, 7:30 p.m. ET
Projected Starting Lineups:
Phoenix Suns: PG: Brandon Knight, SG: Eric Bledsoe, SF: Marcus Morris, PF: Markieff Morris, C: Alex Len
Cleveland Cavaliers: PG: Kyrie Irving, SG: J.R. Smith, SF: LeBron James, PF: Kevin Love, C: Timofey Mozgov
The Cleveland Cavaliers won’t have long to dwell on last night’s loss against the Atlanta Hawks as they host the Phoenix Suns. The Cavaliers fell down by 17 points in the first quarter against the conference-leading Hawks before coming back to take the lead in the third quarter. Their lead was short lived, as the Hawks dominated the fourth quarter on their way to a 106-97 win.
The loss showed that Cleveland has some work to do before they get into the playoffs. They looked lost on defense throughout the game, as Atlanta got whatever shot they wanted. Cleveland was also out of sync on offense. LeBron James only had 13 shot attempts and turned the ball over nine times. Some of that was due to the Hawks’ defense, but I don’t think you can count on James having too many more games like that.
In the big picture, it was just one loss and the Cavaliers are still one of the favorites to reach the NBA finals. They are only a half game behind the Chicago Bulls for the number two seed. The teams surrounding them in the standings have all recently gone on slides or have injury problems, which will make the path easier for Cleveland.
Things haven’t been quite as easy for the Suns. They have needed big second half comebacks in each of their last two games, as they cling to life in the Western conference playoff race. Phoenix is currently a game in a half behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and a half game behind the New Orleans Pelicans. It feels very unlikely that the Suns will be the team that ends up with the final place spot despite being so close at the moment.
The Suns are 4-5 since revamping their roster at the trade deadline. Brandon Knight has started to make the transition to his new team and has been a big part of their past two wins. Coach Jeff Hornacek also switched up the lineup in their last game, putting Marcus Morris into the starting lineup over P.J. Tucker. Tucker still ended up playing 37 minutes, as Hornacek decided to play small ball in the second half. It worked out nicely as they came back to beat the Brooklyn Nets in overtime.
The Suns will likely try the same strategy in this game against Cleveland. Phoenix will be looking to push the pace from the very start of the game. They might be able to build an early lead if the Cavaliers come in sluggish after last night’s emotional loss. There is also a chance that the Cavaliers sit some players as they have been known to do this year on the second night of back-to-backs. I think the Suns are catching the Cavaliers at the right time and have a good chance to pull off the upset on the road.
Final Prediction: Phoenix 104 Cleveland 99
