Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) against the New York Knicks in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Suns Reveal Starters vs Wizards

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI | By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jan 11, 2026 7:34 PM ET

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns play host to the Washington Wizards tonight in hopes of continuing their recent winning ways.

The 23-15 Suns have won their last eight-of-ten as the 10-27 Wizards stroll into town, and they'll hope to keep pace in the win column with the following starting lineup:

Devin Booker
Collin Gillespie
Royce O'Neale
Dillon Brooks
Mark Williams

Opening tip is slated for 6:00 PM MST at Mortgage Matchup Center.

This starting lineup has been used heavily in recent games after injuries forced Phoenix to swap their first five often throughout the opening portion of the regular season.

Grayson Allen was part of the starting lineup, though a lower body injury saw him miss a tough stretch of games, opening the door for the likes of Gillespie and O'Neale to solidify themselves as starters.

Allen's been back for a few games since, though Ott says the Suns are still trying to work with Allen's minutes and stagger them across the course of the game.

"As his target minutes, that's what we've used the whole time. He has a set number of competitive minutes that we got to get him to," he said over the weekend on Allen.

"As that grows, that enables us to not only start him, but have enough minutes for the end of the game. You always want to keep those guys available for the end of the game. He's a soldier. He's happy to be out there. Trying to develop a little rhythm, which he found a little bit last game (at Memphis). We like that 2nd unit. The way the 2nd unit plays. So you're trying to balance in all of that as we continue to get healthy."

The Suns' start has been fun to watch from afar, and Ott says defense has been a primary reason as to why Phoenix has found early success:

"Our defense. I think our defense has been pretty consistent at a high level. We continue to force turnovers. We've done a better job in transition as of lately," Ott said ahead of the Wizards game.

"It starts with taking care of the basketball and just finding ways to win. Every night is a different challenge. Tonight, will be a different challenge. It is whatever it takes just to win that specific night we've done, got a pretty good job of."

The Suns are heavily favored to speed past the Wizards, we'll see if they can make good on those expectations.