Free Daily NFL Lock Pick, Monday October 23rd: Minnesota vs San Francisco 8:15pmET
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A pair of Pacific Division teams open up the 2023-24 season against each other on the hardwood up in the city by the bay. The Phoenix Suns are on the road as they make the trip up the west coast to face the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. Phoenix finished the 2022-23 season 45-37 and were fourth in the Western Conference standings. Their season came to an end with a six-game loss to the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. Golden State finished last season 44-38 and sixth in the Western Conference standings. They fell in six games to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Suns own a 147-112 advantage. Phoenix took three of the four matchups last season though it was Golden State earning a 123-112 home win in the most recent matchup on March 13, 2023.
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Phoenix had their ups and downs last season as injuries and inconsistency took their toll. The Suns finished second in the Pacific Division, three games behind the Kings, and dropped the Clippers in five games in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to the Nuggets in six games. In the offseason, Phoenix overhauled a massive chunk of its roster from a season ago. Among the players who have departed are Deandre Ayton (traded to Portland), Torrey Craig (free agency, Chicago), Jock Landale (free agency, Houston), Chris Paul (traded to Washington, then to Golden State), Cameron Payne (traded to San Antonio, now with Milwaukee) and Landry Shamet (traded to Washington) in the offseason. T.J. Warren, Terrence Ross, Bismack Biyombo and Darius Bazley all were free agents that weren’t retained while Ish Wainwright was waived before signing with Portland.
In their stead, Phoenix acquired Bradl ey Beal (from Washington) to add to a talented starting lineup that features Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Jusuf Nurkic and Nassir Little were brought in as part of the deal that sent Ayton to Portland while the team got Grayson Allen from the Bucks as part of a three-team deal. The Suns also added Udoka Azubuike (Jazz), Eric Gordon (Clippers), Keita Bates-Diop (Spurs), Drew Eubanks (Trail Blazers), Chimeze Metu (Kings), Yuta Watanabe (Nets) and Bol Bol (Magic) through free agency. Coach Monty Williams was fired after the season and in his stead is Frank Vogel, who is 431-389 in the regular season over 10 seasons with Indiana, Orlando and the Lakers. The moves put the Suns at +600 to win the 2023-24 NBA title, putting them tied for the third-best odds to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Suns finished last season 17th in the league in scoring offense as they averaged 113.6 points per game on the year. Phoenix stood 11th in rebou nding with an average of 44.2 boards per contest while they were 4th by dishing out an average of 27.3 assists per contest. The Suns were 6th in the league in scoring defense as they allowed an average of 111.6 points per game last season. Devin Booker led the team with 27.8 points plus 5.5 assists per game last season. Kevin Durant (29.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, five assists between Brooklyn and Phoenix), Bradley Beal (23.2 points, 5.4 assists with Washington), Josh Okogie (7.3 points, 3.5 boards) and Jusuf Nurkic (13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds for Portland) comprise the rest of the expected starting five for the Suns. Jordan Goodwin, Grayson Allen, Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe Eric Gordon, Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol, Udoka Azubuike and Nassir Little are solid contributors in Vogel’s rotation. Phoenix was 23rd in field goal percentage by shooting 46.7% from the floor as a team on the year. The Suns were 13th as they knocked down an average of 12.2 three-pointers a night while the team was 7th as they splashed 37.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc last season.
Damion Lee (knee) had a procedure done earlier this month and is out indefinitely. Booker (toe) and Beal (back) were limited in practice so watch for updates on their status leading toward tip-off.
Free Daily NFL Lock Pick, Monday October 23rd: Minnesota vs San Francisco 8:15pmET CLICK TO SEE PICK NOW