
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have 48 minutes to keep their season alive.
Game 4 is here, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are searching for a first-round sweep over the Suns as Mortgage Matchup Center will see a 6:30 PM MST tip-time.
The Suns, with their backs against the wall, will roll with the following starting lineup tonight:
Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin were ruled out ahead of game time due to their respective injuries. Grayson Allen and Devin Booker were clean from the report entering Game 4.
The Suns have their backs against the wall tonight, and they're well aware of it.
"I think anytime you get this late in the series, I think that's where it goes. It's about our force, it's about our competitive juice, about our togetherness. And this group has done it time and time again over the course of the season," Suns coach Jordan Ott said pre-game.
"We've been in many of these games, especially late. At home, in front of your home crowd, we'll have the juices flowing, but we got to do both. You got to execute game plan/schematics and have a level of an intensity that's as high as we've had all year."
Phoenix is hoping to make some history by becoming the first team to ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit, but that only comes with a win starting tonight in Game 4.
And perhaps, obviously, that will be funneled through the talents of star guard Devin Booker.
"Just kind of keep moving him around. I thought we found some stuff with him off the ball last game. That's why we were able to get layups and then he had his most potential assists last game. I think seven assists, two turnovers, 14 potential assists. So we got to play through him," said Ott.
"He's done such a great job of being a playmaker at times. And then we got to know when to give him space to operate. And I think that's kind of what we're we're trying to find a little bit on the fly — when to make him a scorer and then when the ball is in his hands, we feel good whether he shoots it or he makes a play."
The Suns will get one last swing at the plate with this lineup. Will it pay off?
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