What's up with the Suns?
After a close win over the Mavericks in their season opener, the Suns suffered a setback when they visited the Blazers the other day.
For an elite team like Phoenix, having trouble with Portland wasn't supposed to happen. The Suns' offense was decent but the Suns' defense was subpar.
Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons, who made the crucial jumper late in the game to put the Blazers on top, gave the Suns a headache all game. The Suns also got dominated on the boards and only had one block as a team. You can't expect to win a game if you can't do either of the two.
What's up with the Clippers?
Kawhi Leonard didn't play in their game over the Kings but it hardly mattered because they had another superstar who carried the load.
Paul George put his big-boy pants on and dropped 40 points on 16-of-31 shooting while adding six rebounds and six assists. It was a tight game all throughout but the Clippers did enough to eke out the win—their second in a row—over the Kings.
With or without Kawhi, the Clippers should have enough tools to duke it out with the Suns.
Prediction
As of now, it isn't confirmed if Kawhi will sit out the Suns game but I'm hoping he plays. This game is a preview of a potential Western Conference Finals matchup so it'd be nice to see an early glimpse of this showdown with all the stars present.
As to who will win, I'm taking the Suns tomorrow. They should've won the Blazers game so I don't think they'll take this one lightly, especially against a team that's also favored to come out of the West.
Where to watch
Will it be a bounce-back win for the Suns or a third straight victory for the Clippers? Let's all find out tomorrow live at 10:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines, available on Smart GigaPlay and Cignal TV.
