The Suns (34-37) currently sit at the 10th and tied with the short-handed Mavericks in the West.
With 11 more games to go in the regular season, the Phoenix Suns are gearing up for a crucial sprint in pursuit of NBA playoffs. Kevin Durant’s 42-point outburst against the Cavaliers fueled the Phoenix Suns to boost their chances of making the playoffs. The Suns take 10th place in the Western Conference and stay alive for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Suns have gone 6-4 in their last ten games and won three straight games. Their recent momentum can push their chances for the play-in tournament. Only the top six teams from each conference make direct qualification to the playoffs. Teams ranked 7th to 10th feature in a mini-tournament to grab the last two spots.
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As we have seen in the past, Phoenix qualified for the playoffs in the last four attempts, including an NBA Finals in 2021. The Suns reached the conference semifinals three times in the last four seasons. They might crack the playoffs for the fifth straight year but it depends on Kevin Durant, who is averaging 26.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists on 52.8% shooting this season.
Let’s take a look at the Suns’ chances of making it into the playoffs this year.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have already clinched the number one seed in the Western Conference. For the second spot, the Rockets, the Nuggets, the Lakers, and the Grizzlies are fighting out. The rejuvenated Golden State Warriors are going stronger since acquiring Jimmy Butler and they are currently sixth in the table. However, the battle for the sixth spot would be pretty close after Stephen Curry’s injury.
The Clippers and the Timberwolves can hurt the Warriors for the sixth spot. As stated earlier, the Suns are out of the direct qualification race. Phoenix can aim for the top-two spot through a play-in tournament. Players like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker can push the Suns to finish in the top 10. The Suns have a solid team that can crack the play-in competition and reach playoffs.
The Suns (34-37) currently sit at the 10th and tied with the short-handed Mavericks in the West. The Mavs’ current injury issues might offer a slight advantage to the Suns but they can also get a fight from the Trail Blazers, who are two games behind. A couple of defeats can allow both the Mavs and the Blazers to eliminate the Suns from the playoffs race.
| Playoff Seed | Percentage |
| 7 | – |
| 8 | 5.0 |
Source: Basketball Reference
Phoenix have 5.0 % chance to make it into the playoffs according to Basketball Reference. They also have a 24.5% chance to finish the season as the 10th seed, and only a 5.3% chance to finish as the ninth seed. 10th place in the West with a 34-37 record, the Suns are projected to fall to the 10th seed. As per Bet MGM, they would face the No. 9 Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament.
The Playoff journey won’t be easy for the Suns. If they somehow manage to beat the No. 9 team in the play-in tournament and get the No. 8 seed, they will face the OKC Thunder, which is not at all a favorable matchup for the Suns. Only miracles can help them to replicate the 2021 season when they made into the finals. Phoenix was the No. 6 seed in last year’s postseason and faced exit in the first round.
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