The Phoenix Suns (19-19) embark on a five-game road trip tonight when they take on the Atlanta Hawks (19-19), looking to extend their win streak to four games and move above .500 in a crowded Western Conference.

Phoenix could be facing a very short-handed Atlanta team tonight, as the Hawks listed Trae Young (illness) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee inflammation) as questionable, while Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) remains out.

For the Suns, only Jusuf Nurkic (illness) is out, while Grayson Allen (left knee soreness) is probable.

After having a game postponed due to weather conditions on Saturday, the Hawks have not played since falling to the Suns 123-115 last Thursday at Footprint Center. Meanwhile, the Suns have picked up victories over the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets since this meeting.

With a fully healthy rotation, one big key for the Suns tonight is to continue to utilize their depth and solidify the lineups that work the best in this stretch.

Bradley Beal coming off the bench has provided a huge spark for that unit, but Phoenix’s other bench players have stepped up as of late as well.

In Sunday’s 120-113 win over Charlotte, the Suns ran a nine-man rotation and closed with a lineup that consisted of three bench players – Beal, Royce O’Neale and Oso Ighodaro alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. O’Neale and Ighodaro hit some huge shots in the closing minutes to seal the game.

The only bench player that did not play in the clutch was Allen after he left the game at halftime with left knee soreness after recording 13 points before halftime.

Phoenix’s bench all of a sudden looks like one of the best in the league, and it all began in the Atlanta game when Allen and Beal combined for 48 points. O’Neale returning from a six-game absence due to an ankle injury against Charlotte strengthened the unit even more.

With a depleted Hawks roster, expect Phoenix to once again try to take advantage of its firepower coming off the bench.

One area for improvement tonight for the Suns is their paint defense and rebounding. In their last two games, the Suns have been outrebounded by a combined 25 rebounds, giving up 15 offensive rebounds to Charlotte and 21 to the Jazz Saturday.

Mark Williams feasted against Phoenix’s centers in the first half Sunday, recording a season-high 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone.

However, the Suns made a lot of good defensive adjustments that worked against Williams (0 field goals in second half) and the Hornets down the stretch (won fourth quarter 27-15).

Phoenix will have to fine-tune its defense to make sure it comes out of the gates stronger, but has shown that it can adjust as needed on that side of the ball.

Right now for the Suns as they begin this road trip, it’s all about finding an identity on both sides of the ball and discovering the best methods for victory as they look to continue to build momentum.

Tonight’s game tips off shortly after 5:30 p.m. Arizona time.

EAST POINT, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – On Monday, hundreds of people crowded into an East Point shopping center for a candlelight vigil to mourn the death of 17-year-old Kenneth Collier Jr.

Cobb County police have launched a homicide investigation after receiving an initial 911 call on Jan. 9 for gunshots at the Residence at Riverside Apartments in Austell.

In a news release, police officials said they found the teenager with multiple gunshot wounds.

Collier’s family said the body was that of the 17-year-old who was an 11th grader at Eagle’s Landing High School in McDonough.

“Kenneth didn’t deserve to be killed that way. Nobody deserves to be killed that way,” said Kenn Collier, Kenneth’s dad.

Kenn said Kenneth went to see a friend at the Austell complex. He does not know what the circumstances were leading up to the shooting.

“Nobody ever imagines getting a call that your son has been murdered. Your son has been shot, is hurt,” Kenn said. “As a parent, the hardest thing ever to go through. Kenneth was a good kid.”

Kenneth’s death comes roughly seven years after the death of Kenneth’s mother, Tamika Trimble, who also died of gun violence.

17-year-old shot to death at Austell apartment complex, police say

In December 2017, Trimble was shot and killed in her car, with her daughter in the backseat.

“I sat on this same couch and did this interview. Talked about my son’s mom, about his mom being murdered through gun violence. Now, (I) sit here again, without my son, talking about gun violence,” Kenn said.

After that deadly shooting, Kenn said Kenneth acted out and began bullying before channeling his anger.

By 11, Kenneth had written a book advocating against bullying.

He was awarded a proclamation from the City of Atlanta after publishing the book titled “Button Buddy Stops Bullying: And So Can You.”

Kenn said his son got off track and eventually was pulled back into a rough crowd.

“Unfortunately, when you’re still in a situation around your friends and environment, and that’s all you see a lot of times, you can fall back into it,” he said. “As a parent, of course I did everything I can, we did everything we can do.”

Kenn said they recently moved Kenneth away from southwest Atlanta to McDonough where he enrolled at Eagle’s Landing High School. He said his son’s death shows the complexity of the gun violence epidemic.

“We really need to put the guns down,” Collier said.

Cobb County police is asking anyone with information surrounding the shooting incident to call police at (770) 499-3945.

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Atlanta Falcons fans will remember when the multi-million dollar acquisition of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was going to set misfiring tight end Kyle Pitts on the road to career redemption.

For a while, that looked to be the case. Through the Falcons’ first-eight games, Pitts had 29 catches for 419 yards and three touchdowns. That number included a goose egg he had Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints. 

After his Week 8, 91 yard, two-touchdown performance against the Buccaneers, Pitts went MIA.

He had just 183 yards and a touchdown during the final-nine games.  

Isn’t it funny just how quickly things can implode and go south?

When Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot offered up his assessment of his team’s failed season on last week, it came as no surprise that he unashamedly pointed the finger at Pitts’s lack of production. This seems to be an annual conversation with regards to Pitts.

“When you take a player that high in the draft, obviously you expect a certain level,” Fontenot said of the highest drafted tight end in NFL history. “We understand Kyle had a really good rookie year, and he hasn’t equaled or exceeded that production since then. There’s no excuses we’re making about it.”

Even given Fontenot’s sleuth-like observations, and for as cathartic as it might also have felt for him personally, it did little to lay out a map of the road ahead with regards to a Pitts future in Atlanta.

The Falcons picked up his fifth-year option before the season. They’re on the hook for $10.9-million guaranteed in 2025. Beyond that, Pitts is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.

Considering the hot water Fontenot was already in for the Cousins failure and losing a draft pick in the process, the subsequent double whammy of Pitts having another subpar season is particularly depressing.

Fontenot also finds himself with only four picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. All of which begs the imminent offseason conundrum of deciding whether or not it’s time to simply cut ties and firesale the former 4th overall selection.

Of course, some kind of value can always be found out there, especially if a host of tight end hungry teams really believe they can resuscitate the former 1,000 yard Pro Bowler’s beleaguered reputation. However, the Falcons will be selling low, and the return won’t come close to matching the fourth-overall selection or the $33-million the Falcons have already sunk into Pitts. 

Quite clearly, the entire future of the Falcons franchise now rests squarely on the powerful left arm of quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but therein lies the inherent issue.

Pitts inability to develop into a more sure-handed pass catcher doesn’t immediately appear to mesh with the fast ball type of passer Penix Jr. actually is.

Having said all of that, Fontenot is well aware that he needs to do his level best to give Penix as many explosive receiving options as he can as they move ahead with his development.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water with Pitts must ultimately resonate strongly with Fontenot. Plus, running the risk of seeing Pitts resurrect his career elsewhere would presumably be catastrophic for Fontenot’s own future in Atlanta. 

Atlanta would obviously like to see a return on Pitts, but how much longer can they ultimately wait?

Decisions, decisions.