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It was a strong first half of the season for the Phoenix Suns. With many prediction outlets and pundits projecting them to be at the bottom of the standings, they won 32 games and sit in 7th in the Western Conference standings, and just three games out of third place. With the team having a surprising year, Suns Owner Mat Ishbia is making sure to call out people and organizations that had low expectations for the team heading into the season.
With the eighth hardest strength of schedule remaining, the Suns could have their hands full the rest of the regular season. They play every team ahead of them in the West at least once, and their last game of the season is against the team with the most wins in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have beaten the Suns three out of four times this year already.
The Suns play the Los Angeles Lakers twice down the stretch, two important matchups with a team so close in both conference and divisional standings. The Suns are currently 2-1 in the series this year and need one more win to secure the season victory.
With seeds 3-7 separated by just three games, having the season series win over a divisional opponent could prove to be the difference between being in or out of the Play-In Tournament. For a team like the Lakers that are heavily relying on a 41-year-old LeBron James, those five to six days of rest that come with not being in the play-in could be the difference between going home early or late in the playoffs, on top of the risk of being eliminated in the play-in tournament.
If the Suns are going to avoid the play-in tournament, they’re going to have to play better on the road to finish out the season. While they’re over .500 in their 27 games away from the Mortgage Matchup Center, they have the least amount of wins of any Western Conference team in the top-seven on the road. A major bulk of their road games will come next month, when the Suns have their second six-game road trip of the season. Phoenix has 14 games away and 13 games at home the rest of the way.
One benefit for the Suns is that they are almost the healthiest they’ve been all-year. Dillon Brooks will be out against the San Antonio Spurs coming out of the break due to a suspension for getting his 16th technical foul, but the rest of the team is healthy outside of Grayson Allen, who injured his knee before the All-Star Break. There should be a health update on his injury status soon.
With a tough schedule, a mostly healthy roster and a nearly even split in home and road games the rest of the way, where do you think the Suns will finish in the standings?