Preview: Suns visit Bucks to start tough road trip

What: Phoenix Suns (40-16) at Milwaukee Bucks (35-21)

When: 5:00 P.M. MST **EARLY START ALERT**

Where: Fiserv Forum

Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Arizona

Listen: 98.7 FM

The Phoenix Suns had a nightmare of a game against the San Antonio Spurs. That could not have been what they were looking for as their last home game prior to flying out for this rough road stretch. In their first match, the second seed in the West visits the third team in the East in the Milwaukee Bucks.

This definitely won’t be easy. As much as the Suns are looking to bounce back and start their journey away from home off with a win, the Bucks are hoping to snap out of a four-game losing streak at home.

When these two clubs faced each other for the first time this season, Phoenix won. However, it was by a single point. So, buckle up, this should be a fun ride.

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns

Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton

Bucks

Jrue Holiday, Bryn Forbes, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

Injury Report

Suns - Cam Johnson: Nasal fracture - Masked man will play, Abdel Nader: Knee - Out

Bucks - Donte DiVincenzo: Toe - Out

Keys to the Game

Make threes, early and often

The Bucks allow the third-most three-pointers this season and the Suns sit at eighth in three-point percentage. Let it fly!

Phoenix has a lot of shooters and Milwaukee is a very good team so the Suns need to burn them where they can. Jevon Carter and Langston Galloway might get some extended run here as well as the masked man Cam Johnson. As much as Brook Lopez likes to step out, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Deandre Ayton take a couple as well.

Limit Giannis

This is much easier said than done. He is one of the best players in the NBA and a perennial MVP candidate. Jae Crowder will have his hands full and so will Mikal Bridges, Torrey Craig, and Ayton. I’m not saying they need to shut him down because frankly, that’s almost impossible. They just can’t let him get everything he wants, like his 21 free throw attempts and 47 points he dropped last time.

Let Devin Booker take control

Book has been in a bit of a funk lately and he needs to step out of it, especially as the Suns get this road trip started. Bryn Forbes is 6-foot-2 and not a lock-down defender. Devin went for 30 points against them last time. I’m all for this being the game where he snaps out of it and goes berserk.

The Verdict

Again, this is going to be a difficult matchup. These are two of the best teams in the league. As shown by the one-point decision in their last matchup, this can be a really fun game, though. The Suns haven’t lost consecutive games since January and this isn’t the time to see that again. I see them eeking out a victory.

Suns 118 - Bucks 114