2 min read • March 04, 2022
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Check out this matchup's Court View here:
The Suns star guard Devin Booker will miss his second straight game due to being placed in COVID-19 protocols. New York will be without veteran Derrick Rose for the 34th straight game meaning a youthful lineup will once again be relied on.
Suns SIC Health Score: 73.2
In the Suns first game without Booker, their recorded a 120-90 win over a depleted Blazers teams and showed no ill effects on offense without the All-Star guard. Tonight will provide a much more difficult opponent for the Suns who will again need to muster up a string offense with depth pieces.
The Booker loss is even more deafening with starting PG Chris Paul still nursing a broken wrist that may prevent him from returning to the regular season. Cameron Payne (FD $5,000) player well in his first game since injury his right wrist injury.
Payne posted 5 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists in just 20 minutes and could provide tremendous value with his minutes likely increasing.
Another option that has provided great value since coming over in trade is G Aaron Holiday (FD $4,800). Landry Shamet (FD $3,500) will likely draw the start at SG put Holiday provides more all around value showcased by his 9 assists last game and his 5+ assists in 3 of the last 5 games.
Knicks SIC Health Score: 82.9
The Knicks have suffered a poor season sitting in the 12th spot in the Easter Conference. Randle and Co. have been inconsistent all year but tonight provides a clear health advantage over the higher ranked Suns.
The health of the PG position has been a thorn in the side all season with Rose and Kemba Walker (knee) both likely out for the season with latter already being shutdown.
Although coming in at SG, Evan Fournier (FD $5,400) has helped with the ball handling duties and has averaged 34.6 minutes per game meaning he is getting heavy usage/minutes.
New York will also go into the game with some hits to their depth. Rookie F Quentin Grimes will miss the matchup after suffering a knee subluxation while F Obi Toppin is listed as questionable due to a strained left hamstring. Backup C Nerlens Noel (knee) is not listed on the final injury report but is expected to miss the matchup as he has lost his roster spot due to the emergence of C Jericho Sims.
Although the Knicks have a few bench players out, the hold the advantage of the Booker- less Suns heading into Phoenix:
Evan Fournier O15.5 Points
U222.5 Total Points
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