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.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Throughout January, millions of Americans participate in “Dry January,” an attempt to go the whole month without drinking.

Vedant Pradeep’s research has taught him otherwise. The 28-year-old Georgia Tech alumnus is the founder and CEO of Reframe, an app that helps people reduce their drinking. His research shows that a more gradual decline, which he calls “Damp January,” achieves better long-term results.

“We started out trying to help out people with hypoglycemia,” Pradeep said.

But as many startups do, Pradeep pivoted when he noticed many of the people he was helping struggled with alcohol.

“Alcohol is a bad coping strategy, but it is a coping strategy,” Pradeep said.

Reframe, headquartered in Alpharetta, went live in 2020 and has surged to the top of health-app sales in the Apple Store. It offers voluminous options for people to help them cut back or quit drinking, including challenges, counseling, summaries, calendars, stats, and a vast community of users.

“We now have the world’s largest community of people that are trying to cut back on alcohol,” Pradeep said.

Most of all, Reframe has been successful, with over 1 million people using the app. Pradeep says internal numbers show that nearly 40% of users have stayed with it for over a year.

“It helps you understand what alcohol does to your body, how it works,” Pradeep said. “It helps you understand what your triggers are and helps you build these coping strategies.”

It’s also gained support in the medical community. Atlanta cardiologist Dr. Ali Rahimi recommends it to his patients.

“You get a lot of support in an app like that that you don’t get when you see your doctor or therapist a couple of times per year,” he said.

That’s where Reframe fits in with other programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. The app and community are constantly available in a way that’s difficult for other alcohol-reduction programs.

The need is urgent, based on the latest scientific data. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office publicly discussed the relationship between alcohol and certain cancers earlier this month.

Pradeep has known this for a while and understands that quitting cold turkey leads to slip-ups and then give-ups.

“Alcohol isn’t actually serving you,” he said.

So, as Reframe continues to pile on users, it’s all about making progress toward one’s goal; it’s less about being dry than about becoming your best self.

“That’s the goal,” Pradeep said. “To get to a point where you no longer use alcohol as a coping strategy.”

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.

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.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.