PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns’ postseason hopes are dwindling, and with just five games left in the regular season, the margin for error has completely disappeared.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Currently sitting at No. 11 in the Western Conference standings, the Suns (35-42) trail the Sacramento Kings by two games for the final play-in tournament spot. Phoenix also sits 2.5 games behind the No. 9 seed Dallas Mavericks, whom they hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over — but that won’t matter if they can’t catch up in the win column.
The issue? Time — and the schedule — are not on the Suns’ side.
Phoenix faces a brutal stretch to close out the season, beginning with Sunday night’s road game at Madison Square Garden against the playoff-bound New York Knicks. After that, they’ll return home to take on the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, before facing the Spurs and ultimately traveling to Sacramento for a season-finale that could decide their fate.
The Kings, who own the head-to-head advantage over Phoenix this season, would win a two-team tiebreaker unless the Suns take the final game and end with an identical record. In that scenario, the tiebreaker would shift to division record, where Phoenix currently holds a slight edge.
But the scenarios will mean little if the Suns can’t string together wins — something they’ve failed to do lately, dropping five straight games and struggling to find consistency on either end of the floor.
With Kevin Durant out, Bradley Beal under scrutiny, and the offense stalling, the Suns are not only chasing the standings but also their own identity.
Until then, they remain focused on facing Jalen Brunson and the Knicks tomorrow night in Madison Square Garden.
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Reporter Reyna Stanley covers the Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on X @rey_stanley776.
