After losing the first game of the In-Season Tournament group play, the Phoenix Suns bounced back with three straight wins, which has set them up in a great position to move on as a Wild Card team to the knockout round.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While nothing has been set in stone quite yet, as there are a few more games to be played by other teams, the Suns chances are looking amazing.
And this is due to Devin Booker’s three-pointer against the Grizzlies with less than 30 seconds left.
Typically, a three like this in a regular-season game with the Suns already up by 18 points would not mean much; however, given the fact that the in-season tournament tiebreaker comes down to point differential, this shot made all of the difference.
Just hours after the Suns finished pool play with a +34 point differential, the Pelicans beat the Clippers by 10 points, which brought their point differential to +33.
Therefore, while the Pelicans can still win West Group B, they cannot take away a Wild Card spot from the Suns since their point differential is worse and both teams hold a 3-1 record.
Now, the only possible way that the Suns could be knocked out of a Wild Card spot is if the Timberwolves or the Warriors sneak in.
And, for either of these teams to do so, they would have to absolutely demolish their opponents in their final pool play games.
Unless the Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder by 38 points or more, the Suns will enter the knockout round of the in-season tournament.
This game will take place next Tuesday.
