The 2023-24 NBA season continues Friday, December 15, with the New York Knicks squaring off against the Phoenix Suns in the cross-conference battle at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, with a tip-off at 10:00 PM ET.

New York and Phoenix close down their two-game regular-season set. The Suns edged the Knicks 116-113 as 6-point road underdogs on November 26. Phoenix is a 5-point home fave this time around, and the total sits at 230.5 points.

The Knicks dropped three of their last four games

The New York Knicks (13-10; 12-10-1 ATS) opened a five-game road trip last Wednesday, suffering a 117-113 defeat at the Utah Jazz. It was their third loss in four games, and the Knicks are now winless in three consecutive outings away from home.

New York went just 9-for-39 from beyond the 3-point line at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Knicks missed ten of their 32 attempts from the foul line and allowed 15 offensive rebounds to the Jazz. Julius Randle led the way for the Knicks with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Jalen Brunson had 23 points and eight assists.

The Knicks are tenth in the league in offensive efficiency (117.3 points per 100 possessions). They make 13.9 triples per 100 possessions (tied-6th in the NBA) on a 37.7 percentage clip (tied-8th). The Knicks surrender 114.1 points in return (13th) on 54.8% shooting from inside the arc (18th) and 37.2% from downtown (20th).

The Suns have been struggling lately

The Phoenix Suns (13-11; 10-13-1 ATS) have also dropped three of their last four games overall. They are just 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS over their previous seven outings at any location, and the Suns have only won two of their last five showings on the home court.

Phoenix is coming off Wednesday’s 116-112 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets in which we saw the Suns’ All-Star trio together on the floor for the first time. Devin Booker notched 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant had 27 points and six rebounds, and Bradley Beal added 14 points and four assists. The Suns went 9-for-28 from beyond the arc and forced Brooklyn into a paltry seven turnovers.

The Suns are 11th in the league in offensive efficiency (117.0). They make 12.4 triples per 100 possessions (tied-15th) on a 38.2 percentage clip (4th). The Suns certainly need more from their defense, as they allow 115.1 points per 100 possessions (18th) on 52.1% shooting from inside the arc (11th) and 34.9% from downtown (7th). Their defensive turnover percentage of 11.0 is the fourth-worst in the NBA.