Phoenix @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 3, 2020 ) New York 112, Phoenix 120

The Phoenix Suns did not get off to a great start on their three-game road trip, suffering a 123-110 loss at Eastern Conference-worst Atlanta on Tuesday. The Suns will try to bounce back and keep star guard Devin Booker on the floor when they visit the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Booker scored 39 points before being ejected for taunting late on Tuesday and Phoenix could not get enough stops in the fourth quarter as the Hawks pulled away. "A little lack of focus closing out the game," Suns center Deandre Ayton told reporters. "I think we got away from playing the right way. That just tells (the story of) the game. Only 20 assists. We weren't sharing the ball enough. We just weren't playing our game." The Knicks dropped six of their last seven and ran into a buzz saw on Tuesday in a 128-102 loss at NBA-best Milwaukee. "Credit to them, they're a really good team," New York forward Julius Randle told reporters. "Can't have too many errors, can't have too many mistakes when you're playing a team like that. Early we gave ourselves a chance but in the end we didn't. We've just got to be better."

TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS Arizona, MSG

ABOUT THE SUNS (16-24): Point guard Ricky Rubio did not make the trip to Atlanta due to personal reasons and was missed as the Phoenix offense struggled to move the ball. "He controls the pace of the game. Has the ball in his hands," Suns swingman Mikal Bridges told the Arizona Republic of Rubio. "He makes so many plays. Helps (Booker) go without the ball in his hands and gives him a little bit of a rest as well. It's another ball handler out there that's out there that can create and shoot and make a play. He was really missed tonight." Rubio, who is averaging 13.2 points and is second in the NBA at 9.3 assists, could join the team in New York or for the road trip finale at Boston on Saturday.

ABOUT THE KNICKS (11-30): Randle collected 25 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday but fellow starters Taj Gibson, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock combined to go 1-of-15 from the floor as the team shot 35.3 percent. Rookie shooting guard RJ Barrett was 6-of-15 from the floor in the loss but went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 22 points, giving him his first back-to-back 20-plus performances of the campaign after he went for 23 in a win over Miami on Sunday. The five 3-pointers marked a season high for Barrett, who is averaging 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Suns SF Kelly Oubre Jr. was held to 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting Tuesday after scoring at least 17 points in each of his previous eight contests.

2. Knicks PG Frank Ntilikina (groin) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.

3. Oubre Jr. scored 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting in a 120-112 home win over New York on Jan. 3.

PREDICTION: Suns 121, Knicks 116