WHO: Phoenix Suns (15-16) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (22-11)

When: 7:00 p.m. Arizona time

Where: Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona

Regard: AZFamily, Suns Live

Hear: KMVP 98.7

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Warning: joy is in short supply here. I think I’m entering my reputation era…

The year 2024 is coming to an end and I am personally grateful that we can bring this year to a close. It’s been a tough time for Suns fans. We lost Dave King, Walter Davis, Al McCoy and Dick Van Arsdale last year. Emotions ran high as we looked to the team that would help us heal the wounds. But they didn’t. A win in the playoffs. A sub-.500 season with 31 games. A franchise with little hope and even less desirable assets. Yay for us.

The Phoenix Suns were downright average heading into their final game of the season. In the 2024 calendar year, they played 54 games and posted a winning percentage of .593, which was the 22nd best calendar year in franchise history. For comparison, their best year was 2007, when they dominated with a 68-27 record and a .716 winning percentage. Despite boasting the highest payroll in NBA history, this Suns team has delivered results that can only be described as “mediocre.”

So here we are, hope The team can turn things around and are happy with every win because we have the feeling that it could finally be the case. But they don’t do that. Christmas was a mirage. New Year’s Eve? I suspect another memory. It’s a game we’ve been playing all through 2024, one where we think they figured something out but didn’t. And it was exhausting.

To close out the year, the Suns welcome the 22-11 Memphis Grizzlies, a team many have forgotten since Ja Morant struggled with legal issues and injuries a season ago. They finished 13th last season after being the second-best team in the Western Conference in 2022-23. And wouldn’t you know? That’s exactly where they are again. Second place.

How did the Grizzlies manage to secure second place and win by a margin of .667? Simply. They embody everything the Suns lack (and everything we want): leadership, hustle, chemistry and a clear identity. Additionally, from a broader perspective, they have managed to stay below the second tax threshold while retaining valuable draft capital.

Sigh…

Likely starters

Injury report

Suns

• Grayson Allen – PROBABLY (Concussion Protocol)
• Bol Bol – QUESTIONABLE (left knee bruise)
• Devin Booker – QUESTIONABLE (left groin pain)
• Jusuf Nurkic – OUT (borderline attack)
• Collin Gillespie – OUT (right ankle fracture)

Grizzlies

• Ja Morant – OUT (Right AC Joint Sprain)
• Marcus Smart – OUT (right index finger; partial tear of the stretch hood)
• Santi Aldama – OUT (left ankle sprain)
• Brandon Clarke – OUT (Right Soleus Strain)
• GG Jackson – OUT (Right Fifth Metatarsal Repair)
• Jake LaRavia – OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
• Vince Williams, Jr. – OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)

Uniform matchup

What you should pay attention to

tempo

And I’m not talking about picante sauce, listen.

The Grizzlies? They live to run, sprint to the top of the league with pace, and because they never stop, they take the second-most shots per game. This relentless pressure? Not only does it test your endurance, but it also earns you the third-most free throw attempts in the NBA. And now they’re licking their fingers at a Suns defense that’s giving up a team-high 49 points per game, ranking a dismal 20th in the league. Since there is no Jusuf Nurkic to solidify the middle, the season has opened in the lane.

But hey, no big deal, right? The Suns are crawling along at the league’s 25th pace, which is great…until they decide to apply pressure. Then it’s comedy hour, because the ball inevitably ends up in the opponent’s hands. And wouldn’t you know it, this particular opponent ranks 8th in steals and 4th in fast break points. Translation? It’s going to be a long, chaotic night watching Memphis pick its way through Phoenix’s paper-thin defense.

Injuries

Ah, the injury report. A story as old as time this season. Both teams are battered, injured and missing key players. Devin Booker could return, but let’s be honest: Will the Suns really risk it by sitting out until Saturday? Doubtful. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, have to make do without a ton of talent, especially the absent Ja Morant.

So here we are again. Another tied-up team stumbles into the Footprint Center, ripe for the kill. The Suns will put two of their Big Three on the market. That should seal the deal, right? Incorrect. Not when this team has a knack for turning confidence into complacency and manages to fumble even the basics. Because nothing screams “We are contenders” like finding new ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The key to a Suns win

Oh, you know. Hit your threes. Play with hustle on defense. Don’t turn the ball over.

forecast

The Suns will do two of the three things above because they always do. But they won’t do the third one, and they won’t do it so badly that it would cost them the game.

Grizzlies 116, Suns 109