As shown on Feb. 19, 2024, the Phoenix Suns were in a difficult position.
To reiterate, they were tied for fifth in the Western Conference and were only a game out of the Play-in tournament. Wins were needed if they wanted to move up in the standings.
Unfortunately, as of Feb. 26, 2024, their playoff journey is a bit more complicated. Within this past week, the Suns played a total of three games, most of which not ending in their favor.
The Mavs…
Their first matchup was against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 22.
Within recent memory, the Mavs have been a tough team for the Suns to beat. Both teams seem to have built a mini rivalry. Even Luka Doncic and Devin Booker have some friendly beef. Here’s an instance below:
Sadly, the most memorable part of this rivalry happened in the 2022 playoffs where the Suns disappointed. During that time, there were many jokes being made about how bad the meltdown was. Here’s one of those jokes below:
Ever since, the Phoenix Suns seem to go at the Dallas Mavericks to make up for it. With the season series tied and both teams being so close in the standings, it was fitting that this was their last matchup of the season.
However, the Phoenix Suns didn’t come out on top. The Final score was 113-123 Mavs.
Simply, the Suns couldn’t contain the Mavs long enough for their offense to catch up. By clutch time (the fourth quarter), they couldn’t stop Doncic or Kyrie Irving. If Doncic wasn’t scoring, he was passing to an open teammate (mainly Maxi Kleber). When Irving got the ball, he seemed to always make the right play, whether it was scoring or passing.
Booker stepped up with 35 and Kevin Durant had a decent game with 23. But it wasn’t enough. With that loss, they took that bad momentum to the next game.
A Tough Rockets Team
The second matchup was against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 23.
The Rockets have been an interesting team this season. As of Feb. 26, the Rockets have a point differential of 0. That means that the bulk of their games went down the stretch. On top of that, they’re a young team that loves to go on fastbreaks.
Coming off a demoralizing loss yesterday, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Suns were a bit tired. But surprisingly, the Phoenix Suns came out running. By the end of the first quarter, they led 28-20.
They kept that lead until near the end of the second quarter. But, with around 4:15 left, the Rockets went on a run. It all started with a Fred VanVleet three and, by halftime, the Suns were down 52-57.
After that run, the Suns didn’t come back until the fourth quarter. Particularly, at start of the fourth, they were down 76-89. By about 7:04, they were only down 93-94.
However, ultimately, the Phoenix Suns lost 110-114. Other than Devin Booker and Kevin Durant getting their numbers, the only clear positive from this game was Bol Bol.
Particularly, he contributed well off the bench with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Maybe he is on par with Wembanyama like Shaquille O’Neal claims below:
On a more serious note, he played well alongside Durant and Booker, but their efforts weren’t enough. Now on a losing streak, they needed to shift this momentum somehow next game.
Bouncing Back?
The final matchup of this three-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 25.
To say that the Lakers are a tough team is an understatement. They have a Hall of Famer in LeBron James, one of the 75 best NBA players (and a defensive monster) in Anthony Davis, and always seem to be competitive in games.
On top of that, they have the highest free throw attempt differential in the NBA at 5.3. The team behind them is, ironically, the Phoenix Suns (with 3.3).
Fortunately, the Suns were able to win that battle. That game, the Suns attempted 19 free throws and made 18. Adversely, the Lakers attempted eight free throws and made four.
It also helped that so many Suns’ players were in double figures. Specifically, these players included:
-Kevin Durant with 22 (despite shooting 7-20 from the field)
-Royce O’Neal with 20 points (on 6-10 from three) and nine rebounds
-Jusuf Nurkic with 18 points and 22 rebounds
-Grayson Allen (the leading scorer) with 24 points
-Devin Booker with 21 points and nine assists
-Bol Bol with 11 points
Thanks to their efforts, the Suns were finally able to get a win after the all-star break. Hopefully, this is a sign they’ll bounce back and stay out of the Play-in tournament. But, once again, every game counts.
Current Status
Currently, the Phoenix Suns are sixth in the Western Conference. They are tied with two teams the fifth seeded Sacramento Kings and the seventh seeded New Orleans Pelicans.
This is a worse position than they were before the break. But what’s needed is the same. They must get more wins to separate from other teams, starting with them facing the Houston Rockets (once again) on Feb. 29.
Hopefully, they’ll start off this stretch with a win this time!
Stay tuned for more NBA content, including midseason moves, contract updates, and more pieces about every team.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/nba/phoenix-suns-not-the-best-start-after-the-all-star-break/2024/02/28/
