As of March 17, the Phoenix Suns don’t look great. But they haven’t played horrible either. Particularly, they are seventh in the Western Conference.
They haven’t played great but well enough to stay afloat. A good reference to this is their recent three-game stretch.
The Celtics
Their first matchup of this three-game stretch was against the Boston Celtics on March 14. It’s an understatement that this was going to be a tough matchup.
Not only are the Celtics one of the best (arguably the best) teams in the Eastern Conference, but they just beat the Phoenix Suns on March 9. They would need a special effort to beat them. Fortunately, there was a window of opportunity.
In this game, Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined with a hamstring injury, making it just a bit easier for the Suns. Porzingis is a stretch four or five that makes it harder for the defense, especially for the big men. But they still are formidable without him.
Through the first half, the Phoenix Suns were competing well. By the end of the first quarter, the Suns were down 32-35. By halftime, the deficit only grew by a couple of points becoming 60-65.
If the Suns could go on a run in the third quarter, they’d be able to push the game in their favor. However, this was when the Celtics displayed their formability.
By the end of that quarter, the Phoenix Suns were down 85-102. They couldn’t recover and the end score was 112-127. Essentially, the Suns competed but not for a full 48 minutes.
Luckily, their next matchup was a different story.
The Hornets
The next matchup was against the Charlotte Hornets on March 15. Given that their record was 17-49, the Hornets are a team still trying to find its identity.
Since they are such a young team, they haven’t found ways to win games yet. But that doesn’t mean that the Phoenix Suns should let up.
Teams like this have nothing to lose and can surprise even some of the best teams in the league. The Suns would need to be careful and make sure they play at their own pace.
They seemed to understand that early in the game, immediately jumping out to a 10-2 run. But allowed the Hornets to respond. By the end of the first quarter, the Suns were only up 28-26.
The Suns began to pick it up a bit in the second. By halftime, it was still close, but their lead increased to 54-45. To keep the Hornets at bay, they’d need to shift momentum in the second half.
Fortunately, that’s what they did. Within the third quarter, the Suns were playing well. Players like Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant all were getting to their spots and hitting shots consistently.
Due to those efforts, the Suns’ lead ballooned to 92-67 by the end of the third. They were able to maintain this lead until the game ended.
The final score was 107-96. In other words, they took care of a bad NBA team. However, their next matchup wasn’t the same by any means.
Milwaukee…
To end this three-game stretch, the Phoenix Suns faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 17. The Bucks have been an interesting team this season.
This season, they:
-got Damian Lillard in an offseason trade
-replaced Coach Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers (a controversial coach) mid-season
-have been trying to find momentum to win a championship
Regardless of this constant change, the Bucks have remained at the top of the Eastern Conference. Once again, the Phoenix Suns will have their work cut out for them.
But, like the Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks weren’t at full strength. As stated, Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with hamstring soreness.
Giannis is a vital part to nearly every facet of this Bucks’ team. He transcends their defense, energy, offense, etc. But that doesn’t mean the Suns would have it easy.
This game started out close. By the end of the first quarter, the Suns were only down 36-39. However, the game got out of control not too long after.
In the second quarter, the Suns were unable to stop Bobby Portis Jr., Damian Lillard, or anyone on the Bucks from hitting shots. By halftime, the Suns were down 60-82. Of course, they needed to respond in the second half.
Within the third quarter, the Suns tried to do so. Towards the end of that quarter, they were able to cut the lead down to eight, but Bobby and Damian made sure the Bucks kept the lead until the end. They both ended with 31 points.
By the end of the game, the Phoenix Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 129-140. It was a difficult game to watch at times, especially considering Kevin Durant’s disappointing 11-point performance.
Final Thoughts
These losses reflect on the Phoenix Suns as a team.
It demonstrates that the Suns can, mostly, beat teams at the bottom of the standings while also competing with the teams at the top. These are behaviors that okay teams have, in which doesn’t lead to major playoff success.
It also puts their playoff hopes in question. The Suns have a lot of talent but if it can’t be utilized consistently against the top teams, they’ll have major trouble in a playoff setting.
But there’s always time to recover/adjust. That process can start on March 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Stay tuned for more NBA content, including midseason moves, contract updates, and more pieces about every team.
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