PHOENIX -- It's now a win-or-bust situation for the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns might face elimination before their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder starts if the Dallas Mavericks manage to win, but all Phoenix can do at this point is focus on controlling the situation directly ahead of them.
Oklahoma City has sidelined four crucial players, among them the probable 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; however, this does not guarantee an easy win for the Suns tonight.
Kevin Durant continues to sit out due to a seemingly severe ankle sprain he sustained on March 30, and Nick Richards has also been declared unavailable for selection.
Once again, Phoenix head coach Mike Budenholzer found himself making several crucial choices for the starting lineup as he continued to test out different combinations over the past couple of months because of various issues.
In the end, Budenholzer chose to stick with the lineup that started last night’s game against the Golden State Warriors but made a minor adjustment.
- Bradley Beal
- Devin Booker
- Grayson Allen
- Ryan Dunn
- Oso Ighodaro
Beal is back with the starting unit for the third straight game following his absence of almost three weeks because of a hamstring injury.
Booker has been a standout performer for Phoenix during their losing streak—though he may not make the cut for a third All-NBA team, the conclusion of this season could reignite optimism that better days lie ahead.
Allen steps in for Royce O'Neale, who has been struggling with his shot over the past couple of games. Bringing in Allen seems like a final attempt to generate some traction before the season concludes.
Dunn and Ighodaro are each concluding their impressive rookie campaigns; they've both demonstrated themselves to be key long-term assets and have exhibited noticeable improvement throughout the season.
The Suns-Thunder game is scheduled to begin shortly after 7 P.M. local time in Arizona tonight.
The article was initially published here www.si.com/nba/suns as Suns Unveil Starting Five Against Thunder in Crucial Match-Up .
