Key to Suns Defeating Wizards

Tonight is the most glaring opportunity the Phoenix Suns (22-21) have to begin creating separation with the frowned upon .500 record - as they take on the Washington Wizards (6-37) for the second time in just over a week tonight.

The Suns are coming off of a much-needed 108-84 victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets, while the Wizards fell to the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 110-93 on Thursday night.

The Wizards are having a rough season - there's not much wiggle room to get around that fact - but players such as Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George displayed the upside that the team can have long-term.

George lead Washington with 24 points off of the bench against the Suns last Thursday, while Sarr flashed the two-way upside that made him the second overall pick in the last draft.

Bilal Coulibaly is always a player to watch for the Wizards as well. The former lottery pick is still quite raw as a scorer, but has taken steps forward both as a playmaker and defensively to combat the inconsistencies from the field.

The key to Phoenix taking this game and moving to 23-21 is simple - play a complete game. The last game against Washington was controlled by the Suns for much of the night, but a lackluster fourth quater required Mike Budenholzer to play his starters late in the game.

The Suns are the better team - they need to show it across the entirety of the opening 36 minutes - there needs to be little doubt of the result of the game going into the closing stretch.

One major way Phoenix can assert dominance tonight? Contain Jordan Poole, who struggled in the previous matchup prior to exiting early.

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