The Phoenix Suns host the Orlando Magic at the Footprint Center on Tuesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Suns are 42-33 and seventh in the West with a 24-15 home record, while the Magic are 39-35 and eighth in the East with a 16-19 road record.
The Suns are coming off a dominant 131-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. The Magic are coming off a disastrous 139-87 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, which included the longest uninterrupted scoring run by a team when the Raptors scored 31 unanswered points during the contest. This is their second and final encounter of the season, with the Suns winning 113-110 during their first matchup of the season on February 21, 2026, in Orlando.
The Suns are led by Devin Booker, who’s averaging 25.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season, and is hoping to make his case for an All-NBA selection undeniable. The second option alongside Booker is Jalen Green, who’s averaging 18.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, amid an injury-riddled season, although he’s currently looking the best he has all year.
The Magic are led by Paolo Banchero, who’s averaging 22.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season. He had his worst game of the year against the Raptors and will be hoping to bounce back with a big game tonight. His co-star is Desmond Bane, who’s averaging 20.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this season and has an increased load right now given the injuries to Franz Wagner and Anthony Black.
This is going to be a great game between two motivated franchises who need every win they can get to solidify their Playoff hopes.
Injury Report
Suns
Mark Williams: Out (foot)
Amir Coffey: Out (ankle)
Haywood Highsmith: Out (knee)
Magic
Anthony Black: Out (abdomen)
Franz Wagner: Out (ankle)
Jonathan Isaac: Out (knee)
Why The Suns Have The Advantage
The Suns have been the better team on both ends of the court this season, holding a 114.5 offensive rating and 112.8 defensive rating. While they’ve also had their fair share of injury setbacks this season, the franchise has a strong defensive identity built on effort and specialists.
Dillon Brooks’ return to the team after a hand fracture will play a huge factor in reinforcing the Suns’ perimeter defense against a Magic team that’s already bottom-five in three-point shooting this season (34.4 3P%). The Suns are the second-best in the NBA at restricting three-point makes, with opponents shooting 34.6% on the season against them. On that same note, the Suns are a much superior outside shooting team as well as a top-ten three-point percentage team with 36.3 3P% on the year.
The Suns are also one of the fastest-paced offenses in the NBA this season, attempting the fifth-most shots of any team per game (90.4). This relates to their high-volume three-point shooting, which has caused some huge swings this season. The Suns’ shooting isn’t as consistent as the other top shooting units in the NBA, so they will have to hope that shooting variance goes their way against the Magic.
Another key advantage for the Suns comes on the offensive glass, grabbing 13.1 per game at a 38.6 OREB% this season. While center Mark Williams is absent, rookie Khaman Maluach has stepped up in recent games and been a terror on that end, alongside second-year big man Oso Ighodaro. This leads to additional second-chance points, which will further expand the offensive gulf between the two teams heading into this game.
Why The Magic Have The Advantage
While the Suns are a high-volume shooting team, they’re in the bottom five in the NBA this season in terms of points scored (112.9 PPG). The Magic aren’t rated as highly as restricting opponents’ three-point percentage like the Suns, but they’re 11th best with 35.4%, which is good enough to trouble what is a streaky Suns shooting core. Orlando has the personnel to get their outside shooters in a bad rhythm with length and high-effort contests.
The Magic are a strong half-court defensive unit, which might be a problem for the Suns, who already have limited creativity in their offensive unit. The Magic’s active defenders, coupled with the Suns’ 24th-ranked 279.2 passes per game, could lead to offensively stagnant moments. However, Orlando also has to hope they don’t run into similar problems based on the franchise-worst loss they’re coming off in a stretch where they’ve lost seven of their last eight games.
The Magic have a near-even net rating (+0.1) on the season with a 114.3 offensive rating and a 114.2 defensive rating. This shows that at least they’re balanced, with wins and losses ultimately being determined by night-to-night performances.
Orlando’s seeding situation is far more uncertain than the Suns, who seem all but locked into No. 7 in the West. The Magic still have a real chance at grabbing No. 5 or No. 6 in the East and will have more to fight for. That hasn’t helped them over the last month, but they’ll hope to catch the Suns by surprise as they readjust Dillon Brooks into the rotation after missing the last 18 games for the franchise.
X-Factors
Dillon Brooks will make his return to the Suns roster after missing the last 18 games with a hand fracture. Brooks was enjoying a career season, averaging 20.9 points and 3.7 rebounds, before his setback. He’ll look to pick up where he left off, although there will be some adjustment required to playing alongside Jalen Green, who was injured when Brooks was having his big moments this season.
Collin Gillespie has had a breakout season with the Suns, doing a great job at filling the hole at point guard that the Suns have had for the last few seasons. Gillespie is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, as the former NCAA National Champion is the perfect guard who can stabilize the Suns’ offense when required and play off-ball for Booker, Green, or Brooks when required and be a danger as a catch-and-shoot threat.
Jalen Suggs hasn’t been the key offensive guard the franchise hoped he’d develop into, but they need him to have a big performance if the Magic want to have a chance at beating the Suns. He’s averaging 13.7 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals this season. Suggs will be mainly tasked with making sure Booker has a slow offensive night, as doing that might already give the Magic the best chance they have at walking away with a much-needed win.
Tristan da Silva is having a strong second year in the NBA, averaging 10.0 points and 3.7 rebounds this season. He’s been thrown into the fire this season with injuries to Wagner and Isaac, but he’s proven he belongs in the NBA through these opportunities. He’s already a good 3-and-D wing for a contending team, but the Magic will hope he can supplement the offense by using his creativity rather than sticking to his role after the team’s 52-point loss to the Raptors.
Prediction
This is going to be a close game. Contrary to their recent form, the Magic have all the pieces to be a dark horse in the East, even with their injuries. Unfortunately, they’re plagued by inconsistency across the roster in terms of scoring output and even defensive effort this season. Given the recent form of both teams, it’s hard to argue against the Suns for this game. They have the weapons that can hammer into Orlando’s weaknesses and the tools to stop them.
Prediction: Suns 114, Magic 107
