The Phoenix Suns and host Washington Wizards, two teams riding high, will meet in the third contest of the Suns’ four-game road trip on Monday.
The Suns (18-13) could reach a season-high six games over .500; the Wizards have won two in a row for the first time this season and have won four of seven, their 1-15 start becoming less relevant by the day.
Washington (7-23) beat Memphis for the second time in nine days with a 116-112 victory on Sunday.
“Groups found their way to be resilient and fight through and get us back in the game,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “But our defense carried. We were very active tonight.”
Washington 7-foot center Alex Sarr had 20 points, nine rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots as the Wizards overcame a 10-point third-quarter deficit. Sarr was the second overall pick in the 2024 draft.
“That’s why he’s here,” Keefe said. “That’s why we picked him, to anchor our defense. He set the tone for us defensively, protecting the rim, multiple efforts.”
CJ McCollum had 16 points as eight Wizards scored in double figures. They had a 54-43 rebounding edge and made 24 of 25 free throws.
The Suns look to stretch their winning streak to four games after winning occasionally chippy back-to-back games in New Orleans over the weekend.
Seven Suns scored in double figures in a 123-114 victory on Saturday, when they tied a season high with 20 3-pointers and made seven steals.
Phoenix, under first-year coach Jordan Ott, is the first team in league history with 410 3-pointers and 325 steals through the first 30 games of a season. They lead the league with 336 steals in 31 games.
“Whatever it takes, like we’ve been saying the whole time,” Ott said.
Collin Gillespie and Royce O’Neale had five 3-pointers apiece Saturday, when the Suns found another hero off the bench in 6-foot-3 reserve guard Jordan Goodwin.
Goodwin had a season-high 16 points with two treys and added nine rebounds and four assists. He had five offensive rebounds and the Suns had a 55-43 edge on the boards.
“I just crash (the glass) every time,” Goodwin said on the Suns’ post-game TV show. “Some of these guys don’t box out, so that helps me out, too. I kind of sneak in there.”
The Suns had 45 bench points Saturday, when Jamaree Bouyea had 12 and Mark Williams had 10. Williams was held out of the starting lineup but played on consecutive nights for the first time this season because of knee management.
“We talk about the possession game,” Ott said. “Just part of what we do, how we play. That much effort in the second half of a back-to-back was pretty good for us. Felt like we were stuck in mud at times. Being able to get it off the glass is super helpful.”
The Suns will be without Williams, who was suspended for one game after he and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado were ejected for fighting with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter on Saturday. Each threw a punch after becoming entangled in a Williams screen. Alvarado was given a two-game suspension.
“The lack of sleep, the second night of back-to-back, something always tends to happen,” Ott said. “They let us play tonight, which is something we enjoy to do.”
Wizards forwards Kyshawn George (hip) and Corey Kispert (hamstring) did not play against Memphis. Suns guard Grayson Allen (knee) has missed the last five games.
–Field Level Media
