Knicks return home, looking for improved defense vs. surprising Suns

The New York Knicks hit the road last week hoping they had solved the first crisis of the season. After losing four straight games, they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 7 before heading west.

But the Knicks will still be searching for solutions Saturday night, when they host the Phoenix Suns in the opener of a three-game homestand.

Both teams were off Friday after squandering double-digit leads in road losses Thursday night, when the Knicks fell to the Golden State Warriors, 126-113, and the Suns were edged by the Detroit Pistons, 108-105.

The loss finished a 1-3 road trip for the Knicks, who played most of the last two games without leading scorer Jalen Brunson. The star point guard suffered a sprained right ankle 4:59 into Wednesday's 112-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Brunson is listed as questionable for Saturday night.

With or without Brunson on Saturday, the Knicks will be looking to shore up a porous defense that threatens to derail a season that began with championship aspirations.

The Knicks have dropped seven of their last nine, dating back to New Year's Eve, a stretch in which opponents are averaging 119.0 points per game while shooting 39.3% from 3-point land.

New York allowed the Warriors to shoot 44.4% from 3-point land (20 of 45) Thursday night, when Golden State hit 17 of its final 37 shots from beyond the arc after the Knicks raced out to a 31-14 lead in the first quarter.

Overall this season, New York is allowing 115.1 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 37.4% from 3-point land, the latter of which is the fourth-worst percentage in the NBA entering Friday.

"We have to figure it out," Knicks guard Josh Hart said. "We've got to get our defense under control. That's something that has been a little shaky all year."

The Suns have been much steadier than expected this season under first-year head coach Jordan Ott, who has directed Phoenix to a 24-17 record despite the offseason exits of veterans Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Tyus Jones, who combined to average 53.8 points per game last year.

But the Suns felt the absence Thursday of holdover star Devin Booker, who was sidelined with a sprained left ankle suffered in Tuesday's 127-121 loss to the Miami Heat.

"If he could go, he would, especially being here in Michigan," Ott said of Booker, who was born in Grand Rapids and is listed as questionable for Saturday's contest. "We're going to try to get it next game."

Phoenix opened a pair of 16-point leads in the second quarter Thursday before being outscored 52-42 in the second half. The Suns nearly overcame a five-point deficit in the final five seconds, but Grayson Allen, who drained a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining, missed a potential game-tying 26-footer at the buzzer.

The consecutive losses are the first for the Suns since Dec. 10-14. Phoenix hasn't dropped three in a row since a season-long four-game losing streak from Oct. 24-29.

"We're competing, we're battling," Suns guard Jordan Goodwin said. "I think we're going to turn that corner real soon."