The Phoenix Suns begin a crucial six-game eastern road trip Tuesday night as they take on the Bucks in Milwaukee.
Phoenix comes in on a two-game win streak after the Suns took care of the red-hot Charlotte Hornets 111-99 on Sunday, and they were a two-point loss to the Chicago Bulls away from winning five in a row.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 30 points and 10 assists versus Charlotte. Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green each added 24 points, while Rasheer Fleming scored 16 off the bench.
On the defensive end, the Suns rose to the challenge of this Hornets offense, holding Charlotte to 33% shooting from deep and forcing 11 turnovers.
“That’s who we have to be, it’s how we’ve found success on the defensive end. Our physicality, take it to the legal limit, then just have overall intent on every possession,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “That offense is really good. We took the challenge tonight.”
Booker leads the Suns, who now have more wins this campaign than they did all of last season, with averages of 24.9 points and 6.1 assists per game.
“It starts Day 1. Obviously, a lot of changes since then. We came with a fresh new energy,” Booker said. “We worked, worked together, kept the main thing the main thing. Everybody is on the same page, it’s fun to be a part of.”
Milwaukee will put an end to a long stretch of games at home, and a disheartening stretch it has been. The Bucks lost Sunday 130-91 to the Orlando Magic for their fifth loss in their last six games, all by more than 18 points.
This time, the Bucks were short-handed, as they were without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), Kyle Kuzma (back) and Kevin Porter Jr. (knee). Without those key forces, the Bucks’ offense failed to create any rhythm or consistency.
“A lot of those were turnovers, bad shots. I didn’t think we met their physicality tonight as a whole,” Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. “We didn’t run our stuff. It’s one thing to have injuries; it’s another thing to have injuries to everybody that facilitates your offense.”
Bobby Portis and Cam Thomas came off the bench to lead Milwaukee with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Only 34 of Milwaukee’s points came from the starting five.
Part of that starting five, Myles Turner, has struggled as of late, scoring eight points or fewer in five straight and grabbing four rebounds or fewer in four straight. Overall in his first season since signing with the Bucks, he’s averaging just 12.2 points and 5.4 boards per game.
Antetokounmpo and Kuzma are listed as day-to-day and likely could play Tuesday, though questions remain on if the Bucks will shut down Antetokounmpo given the team’s play-in chances dwindling. Porter Jr. is listed as out.
Phoenix is without some key pieces, including second-leading scorer Dillon Brooks (broken hand) and 7-foot-1 center Mark Williams (foot). Jordan Goodwin (calf) and Grayson Allen (knee) are both listed as day-to-day.
This is the first meeting between these teams this season, with one more coming in Phoenix. The two-game season series has been split the last two campaigns, with each team winning in their home arenas.
