NBA

Game Preview: The Sun Takes on Buttons in the World’s Most Famous Arena

ballervisions 2026年1月18日

WHO: Phoenix Suns (24-17) @ New York Knicks (25-16)

When: 5:30pm Arizona time

Where: Madison Square Garden — New York, New York

Look: NBA TV, Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports

ListenKMVP 98.7

The Phoenix Suns have their first losing game of 2026 and their first in over a month. Losing to the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, the Suns had a chance to win the first two games of their six-game road trip, but too many free throws and could not use during the catch to get a win.

The good thing about Suns? Help may be on the way.

Devin Booker, who missed the team’s last game with an ankle injury against the Heat, could return to action tonight. Booker has had a lot of success against the Knicks the past few seasons, especially at Madison Square Garden. Last season, he scored 40 points, and in the 2023-24 campaign, he hit a three-game late streak.

Like the Suns, the New York Knicks enter this game with a loss. They are also on a two-game losing streak and are 2-7 in their nine outings. Previously, they had won 11 at 1.3 including their win in the Championship Cup. Tonight is the Knicks’ first home game in over a week. They started their road trip against the Sun, losing 112-107.

Can the Suns get back on track against a struggling New York team?

Proposed Starting List

Injury Report

Days

Devin Booker — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Sprain)
Jamaree Bouyea – OUT (Concussion Protocol)
Jordan Goodwin – AVAILABLE (Jaw Sprain)
Jalen Green – (Right Hamstring Sprain)

The Knicks

Jalen Brunson – QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Sprain)
Trey Jemison – OUT (G-League)

What you can watch

In his last five games against the Knicks, Booker averaged 32 points and seven assists. For his entire career, he averaged 28.6 points per game against New York. If you think he’s playing, does Booker continue his string of strong performances against them?

When the two teams met in Phoenix last week, Booker scored 31 points, made four threes and dished out eight assists. Down the stretch, he made several big plays to help the Suns secure the victory.

After a few tough games getting his legs under him coming back from injury, Grayson Allen is playing like he did at the start of the season when he was the team’s second leading scorer. Allen scored 30 points for the second time this season in Thursday’s loss to Detroit, going with 33 points, three triples, and three blocks. After recording three swats and three swats in the first quarter, Allen became the first Sun to record such a stat line in one quarter.

Allen has more points in his last two games, 58, than he did in his last four games, 41. Does Allen continue his scoring streak?

The Key to Defeating the Suns

Regardless of the opponent, the Suns need to shoot better at the free throw line than they did against the Pistons. Going 16/25 from the line, one of the main reasons the Suns were in the game down the stretch was because Detroit actually shot a worse percentage from the line. In the Knicks’ first game against the Suns of the season, Phoenix was slow at the line, hitting all six of their field goal attempts in the final 15 seconds to ice the game. The Suns need to get back to knocking down their free throws at a high rate to stay in games and secure wins.

If Devin Booker does not play, the Sun must decide who will score more goals. In the previous game it was Allen and Collin Gillespie with Dillon Brooks in trouble. Despite the injury and his availability trending in the right direction, Jalen Green remains absent. Who will step up if Booker can’t go.

Prediction

New York was struggling and just made a cross-country flight back to the East Coast. The Suns look like a healthier and better team right now. Give me a shutout Phoenix as long as Booker plays.

Sun 113, Knicks 109