The Phoenix Suns will take the court Sunday night two days removed from keeping alive their hopes of advancing beyond group play in the NBA in-season tournament.
Stunningly, so will the New York Knicks.
The Knicks will look to build on a dramatic comeback win when they host the Suns in the first game of the season between the teams.
Both teams were off Saturday after earning pivotal wins Friday. The visiting Suns completed West Group A play by cruising past the Memphis Grizzlies 110-89. The host Knicks overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit to edge the Miami Heat, 100-98.
The Suns have a 3-1 record in the in-season tournament, one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers. But with a plus-34 point differential, Phoenix is well-positioned to earn the wild-card berth into the knockout round.
The top second-place team in the Western Conference is assured of finishing with no better than a 3-1 record. Through Friday, the Suns had a better point differential than the 3-0 Sacramento Kings (plus-29) as well as the 2-1 Houston Rockets (plus-16), the 2-1 Golden State Warriors (plus-5) and the 2-1 Minnesota Timberwolves (minus-3).
With the point differential in mind, the Suns ended the lopsided win over the Grizzlies with four starters on the court – including star shooting guard Devin Booker, who scored nine of Phoenix’s final 12 points over the final 3:53. He closed out the scoring by banking in a 27-foot 3-pointer for the game’s final points with 13 seconds left.
“No disrespect to the Grizzlies,” Booker said. “I wouldn’t take the shot if it wasn’t the in-season tournament, but we need it.”
The win was the sixth in a row for the Suns, who extended their streak despite playing without Kevin Durant, who missed his first game of the season due to a sore right foot. Head coach Frank Vogel said Durant could return Sunday.
The Knicks appeared destined for elimination in East Group B play when the Heat scored the first 19 points of the third quarter and carried a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter. But New York ended the game on a 29-9 run and held Miami scoreless from the field over the final 3:49, a span in which RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson combined to score the final 13 points for the hosts.
Barrett’s three-point play gave the Knicks the lead for good at 97-96 with 1:59 left. Brunson then sank a jumper on New York’s next possession and split a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Jimmy Butler missed a fall-away 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Heat, who fell to 2-1 in East Group B play.
“It’s pretty cool,” Brunson said. “I’m not going to lie. It’s a really good win.”
The Knicks improved to 2-1 in East Group B play with a point differential of plus-18 heading into Tuesday’s group finale against the Charlotte Hornets, whose minus-30 point differential is the third-worst in the East.
Among the six teams in the East with one loss, New York’s point differential is better than all but the Orlando Magic (plus-22).
The win on Friday was the seventh in the past nine games for the Knicks following a 2-4 start.
– Field Level Media