The Phoenix Suns have been able to weather Devin Booker’s absence quite well thanks in large part to Kevin Durant’s superstar exploits and Grayson Allen’s torrid shooting. Bouncing back from a rough weekend, the Suns have now won two straight, including a 117-107 win over the Denver Nuggets and a 120-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors. But the slate isn’t about to get any easier for the Suns, as they have a heavyweight clash against the Boston Celtics on the docket for Saturday night.
The Celtics may be coming off two straight losses for the first time this season when they enter that clash against the Suns, but head coach Frank Vogel knows better than to underestimate the opposition, particularly in this one aspect of the game.
“We’ll be ready (for their three-point shooting),” Vogel said following their win over the Raptors, per Trevor Booth, Suns beat reporter for ClutchPoints.
Indeed, the Celtics don’t just have the best record in the NBA, they also have the league’s best offense, scoring 121.4 points per 100 possessions. This is thanks in large part to their elite three-point shooting; they make the most threes per game with 16.3 a night while shooting them at a 38.6 percent clip as a collective, which is good for fourth-best.
Containing dribble penetration will be what’s crucial for Frank Vogel to drill into the Suns leading up to this game. The less help they have to send to the rim, the more they’ll be able to contain the perimeter, which is easier said than done. Moreover, being able to switch screening actions with similarly-sized personnel will be crucial; this is where the addition of Royce O’Neale is going to be very helpful, as he has some solid defensive chops on the wing.
The Suns and Celtics’ meeting on Sunday will be their first this season, and it’ll feature a blockbuster superstar matchup with Kevin Durant taking on Jayson Tatum. It looks like Devin Booker could return to the lineup during that game, and a matchup between him and Jaylen Brown would be must-see television as well. The two teams split the season series last season.
More must-reads: