New York Knicks vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 1/9/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: New York Knicks vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: AZ Family Sports Network

Mortgage Matchup Center is the location where the Phoenix Suns (22-15) will take on the New York Knicks (24-13) on Friday.

The Knicks stepped onto the hardwood against the Clippers and went home with a win by a final score of 123-111 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Knicks finished with 17 and the Clippers finished the game with 16 personal fouls. They made 15 of their 42 attempts from 3-point land. Los Angeles ended up going 84.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 16 of their 19 shots. In addition, Los Angeles snagged 40 boards (15 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Los Angeles distributed 21 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. When discussing the defense, New York allowed 43.5% from the field on 40 out of 92 shooting. They also doled out 31 assists for this contest while creating 10 turnovers and having 5 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they earned 48 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Knicks made 15 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 88.2%. New York ended the game having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (47 out of 94) and converted 14 out of their 33 shots from 3-point land.

Jalen Brunson is one guy who was important for this game. Brunson walked away from this one shooting 75.0% from the floor and also recorded 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes played and pulled down 3 rebounds. He notched 26 points on 9 of 12 shooting.

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New York will enter this game with a mark of 24-13 this year. They are averaging 119.7 pts per game (5th in the league) while hitting 47.3% from the floor. The Knicks are hitting 38.3% on shots from distance (563 of 1,469) and 80.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, New York is snagging 45.8 rebounds per game and has accumulated 997 assists on the season, which is 11th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 13.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Knicks are able to force 14.0 turnovers per game while drawing 20.0 personal fouls. They currently rank 11th in the NBA in giving up assists with 942 surrendered for the season. The Knicks are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.7% (1,515 of 3,242) and they relinquish 42.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They surrender 37.3% from 3-point land while they are 12th in basketball in opponents points per game (115.0).

The last time they took the court, the Suns went home victorious with a score of 117-98 against the Grizzlies. When discussing team rebounding, Phoenix permitted Memphis to get 47 in all (15 on the offensive side). They shot 32.4% from three-point range by connecting on 12 of 37 and finished the game at 8 out of 14 from the charity stripe (57.1%). The Suns permitted the Grizzlies to make 39 of their 92 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.4% in this contest. When this game wrapped up, the Suns walked away from this one shooting 45 out of 97 from the floor which had them shooting 46.4%. In relation to shots from downtown, Phoenix buried 22 of their 56 attempts (39.3%). They were able to convert 5 of them for a clip of 62.5%. The Grizzlies committed 11 fouls in this game which took the Suns to the free throw line for a total of 8 attempts. They also turned it over 18 times, while earning 11 steals for the matchup. The Suns pulled down 36 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards totaling 51 in the game.

Dillon Brooks pitched in for the Suns for this game. Brooks tallied 21 points in his 25 mins of playing time and earned 3 dimes in the matchup. He made 8 out of 22 in the matchup for a rate of 36.4%, and tallied 7 rebounds.

Phoenix has a mark of 22-15 for the campaign. The Suns commit 21.9 fouls per game and they hit 79.3% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 25.4 times per contest (20th in basketball) and they cough up possession 15.6 times per game. Phoenix has totaled 4,248 pts for the year (114.8 per contest) and they pull in 43.5 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Suns are connecting on 46.5% from the field, which is 19th in the league.

The Suns on the defensive side of the court are 6th in basketball in points given up per game with 112.4. They are able to force 17.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 46.9% from the field (15th in the league). The Phoenix defense allows 35.1% on 3-point attempts (455 of 1,298) and their opposition makes 78.7% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 24.8 dimes and 42.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 5th and 10th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New York

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