The Phoenix Suns take on the New York Knicks at Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday, with the game tipping off at 9 PM ET.
The Suns are winners of three of their last four and took down the Memphis Grizzlies 117-98 on Wednesday. They are seventh in the West with a 22-15 record and continue to exceed expectations.
The Knicks, meanwhile, enter this game on the back of a much-needed 123-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Knicks had lost four in a row coming into that one, and the victory sees them get back to second in the East with a 24-13 record.
The Knicks will be looking to Jalen Brunson to lead them to another win here. Brunson is averaging 29.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2025-26.
The Suns will be led by Devin Booker, who is putting up 25.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season. The Knicks swept the season series 2-0 in 2024-25.
Injury Report
Suns
Jamaree Bouyea: Out (concussion protocol)
Jalen Green: Out (right hamstring strain)
Knicks
Josh Hart: Out (right ankle sprain)
Trey Jemison III: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Landry Shamet: Out (right shoulder sprain)
Why The Suns Have The Advantage
The Suns have shown lately that they can hold their own against some of the best teams in the NBA. They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105 on Sunday and followed that up by narrowly losing 100-97 to the Houston Rockets on Monday. As one would notice, those are two teams with plenty of firepower, and they weren’t able to put up too many points.
The Suns have a 110.4 defensive rating over their last 10 games, which ranks third in the NBA in that stretch. On the flip side, the Knicks’ 122.3 defensive rating in their last 10 ranks 28th.
A team that has Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson shouldn’t be this bad defensively for any stretch, but they have been. Former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau even threw some shade at current head coach Mike Brown for these struggles.
So why have the Knicks been so bad? Well, some of it can be explained by Josh Hart’s absence. They have a 120.6 defensive rating in the games he has missed this season, and 115.6 in the ones he’s played. Hart won’t be available here either, and the Suns are good enough offensively to take advantage. Their 118.6 offensive rating over their last 10 games ranks seventh.
Booker has had success against the Knicks in recent meetings as well. He averaged 36.5 points on 53.8% shooting from the field in the two games last season. The Knicks are worse off defensively now than they were back then.
The Knicks have also been a bad road team this season, with a 7-9 record on their travels.
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
For all of the Knicks’ defensive struggles, they have been excellent offensively this season. Their 121.3 offensive rating for the season ranks fourth in the NBA. They are capable of putting up points in a hurry against anyone.
The Miami Heat are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and the Knicks racked up 132 points against them when the teams last met on Dec. 21.
As for the defensive end, well, there were at least some positive signs in the win against the Clippers. Brown ditched the two bigs setup in the starting lineup for that game, benching Robinson for Deuce McBride.
The result was the Clippers shooting just 43.5% from the field. If that wasn’t an aberration but a sign of things to come, the Knicks can certainly take down the Suns.
X-Factors
Mark Williams has been a great addition for the Suns, and it will be fascinating to see his battle with Karl-Anthony Towns. Williams is putting up 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season while playing just 23.8 minutes on average. Towns hasn’t been at his best lately, and Williams would be backing himself to win that big man battle.
We just mentioned McBride’s impact against the Clippers, and he’ll be key against the Suns. To go with his defensive prowess, he has been knocking down shots, too. McBride has averaged 16.5 points on 47.9% shooting from beyond the arc in his last 10 games. If he puts in another excellent two-way performance, the Knicks would stand a much better chance of winning.
Suns vs. Knicks Prediction
If both these teams were at their best, you’d give the edge to the Knicks, but they aren’t playing great. Add in the fact that they have been a mediocre road team, and one would back the Suns to come away with another win.
Suns 122, Knicks 117
