Phoenix Suns continue their hot streak in NBA restart
The Phoenix Suns began the 2019-20 NBA season on a high note. In fact, they posted five wins in the first seven games. That trend changed before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the NBA opted to restart the season in late July, the consensus was the Suns weren’t going to be a factor in the seeding games. Boy was that thinking off the mark, to say the least.
The Suns started their bubble slate with a win over the Washington Wizards.. This wasn’t a big deal because the Wizards, are well, the Wizards. However, the Suns posted a 117-115 win in their next outing against the Dallas Mavericks. A victory against one of the top offensive teams in the bubble is no small feat. The story continues to get better from there.
In their third game of the NBA restart, the Phoenix Suns escaped with a two-point victory against the LA Clippers, courtesy of this cold-blooded game-winner by Devin Booker.
Given the fact that the Phoenix Suns have won more than 30 games just twice over the last six seasons, a three-game win streak could be considered a fluke at best. Surprisingly, the Suns continued their hot streak in their next two contests.
They defeated the Indiana Pacers by a 114-99 margin. And the Suns followed that up with a 119-112 win against the Miami Heat. The significance here is that the Heat and Pacers have the fourth and fifth-best records, in the eastern conference.
Going into their Monday afternoon matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it would have been reasonable to presume that the Phoenix Suns were due for a loss. Especially since they trailed 37-23 after the first 12 minutes of action.
But despite the early double-digit deficit, the Phoenix Suns came roaring back, and in a big way. They went on to outscore the Thunder by a 105-64 margin the rest of the way. When it was all said and done, the Suns came away with a 128-101 victory to improve to 6-0. And they remain the only undefeated team in the bubble.
With their recent victory, the Suns moved within one game of the No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies and a half-game behind the ninth-place Portland Trail Blazers. Should the Suns finish as the No. 9 seed, they would qualify for a play-in series against the Grizzlies (should they hold on to the eighth spot). In that scenario, they would have to beat the No. 8 seed twice to nab the final postseason berth.
Whether the Suns can continue their hot streak remains to be seen. However, based on what we’ve seen thus far, a little confidence goes a long way. After posting wins in each of their first six games while averaging 120 points during that stretch, the Suns have positioned themselves to contend for a playoff berth, something that wasn’t expected when the restart began.