Who: Phoenix Suns (17-13) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (8-24)

When: 5:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana

Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, NBATV

Less than 24 hours after knocking off the New Orleans Pelicans, the Phoenix Suns are right back at it in the Smoothie King Center. Same floor. Same rims. Same crowd that is going to be a little louder and a little angrier. This marks the fifth back-to-back for the Suns this season, and so far the record sits at 1-3. They are also 1-3 in those games without Mark Williams, since the team has chosen not to play him on the second night of these situations.

The competition has mattered. Houston. Denver twice, which still feels like a personal prank from the scheduling gods. Indiana. That Pacers game also happened to be their largest win of the season. So the back-to-back itself is not some automatic death sentence. It depends on who you are facing. On paper, New Orleans still lives in the category of a team the Suns should beat. Reality is messier. Playing the same opponent on consecutive nights is strange. Beating the same group twice in a row, in the same building, is never simple.

Last night was a rock fight. 13 lead changes. Elbows. Scratches. Trying to cherry-pick points at the end. It was a game that refused to settle down until Phoenix finally grabbed control late and secured win number 17. The Pelicans showed off their youth. Jeremiah Fears was a blur. Rookie Derik Queen held things down inside. With Zion and Jordan Poole coming off the bench, James Borrego has a strange but functional mix of speed, power, and offense at his disposal.

The Suns now have tape. They have a quick turnaround. Adjustments are coming. New Orleans will throw the first punch tonight. Phoenix has to be ready to answer it again.

Mark Williams — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee, Injury Management)Ryan Dunn — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee)Grayson Allen — OUT (Right Knee)Jordan Goodwin — AVAILABLE (Jaw Sprain)Jalen Green — OUT (Right Hamstring Strain)Herb Jones — OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)Dejounte Murray — OUT (Right Achilles Rupture)

First and foremost, the hope is simple: regression to the mean at the free-throw line. New Orleans shot 42 free throws last night, the most they have taken all season. Their previous high was 35. It was also the most they have attempted in a game since December of 2022. Yes, the Suns play aggressive basketball. That is who they are. Still, I do not buy that they are 17 fewer free throws per night worse than the Pelicans.

New Orleans is young. Youth usually brings mistakes. Mistakes usually bring whistles. We did not see that last night.

The biggest thing to watch tonight is how Jordan Ott handles the center rotation. Mark Williams is listed as ‘questionable’, because that has been the pattern on the second night of a back-to-back. And honestly, Williams was a major reason the Suns survived last night. His decisiveness and motor overwhelmed Derik Queen, and Phoenix took advantage. They could have done more, too. There were missed chances in the paint that should have been easy money.

So what does that look like tonight? Does Williams play? If so, how much? How much Oso Ighodaro do we see? How much Nick Richards? Does Khaman Maluach get a look? How effective can that group be? And does their presence wake Queen up after a quiet night?

My assumption is this turns into a small ball survival test. Pace. Spacing. Three-point volume. That feels like the path. It might not be comfortable. It rarely is on the second night. But that is probably where the Suns are headed.

Hit the three ball. That is the path tonight.

The Suns went 8-of-40 from deep last night, and that cannot happen again if they want to survive this one. If Mark Williams isn’t anchoring the interior, Phoenix is not going to live in the paint. The offense has to come from the perimeter. The looks will be there. They always are against New Orleans.

The Pelicans allow the most three-point attempts per game in the league at 41.6. That is an open invitation. Phoenix has to accept it and convert. This feels like a game where the Suns need to knock down somewhere between 17 and 23 threes to stay afloat.

Pair that with clean ball security, and the math starts to work. The Suns are not going to win the rebounding battle tonight. Not without Williams. The margin lives on the arc. If the shots fall, they can take this game. If they do not, it is going to be a long night.

It will be a different kind of game than last night. Maybe less of a rock fight. Maybe more about runs and momentum swings. That is the deal when you live by the three-ball. When it is falling, you build a real lead. When it dries up, the other team comes flying back into it.

The Suns survive the first three and a half quarters leaning on the three-point shot, then Devin Booker slams the door late.