It will be very interesting to see which team the Phoenix Suns will play in the play-in tournament. The main concern is not who they play but how they are playing going into the postseason. The Suns played a meaningless game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto Arena, and it was a good opportunity to get in some work for guys who have to play a big part in how far they will go. After the night was done, it appeared the guys that needed to show out against a shorthanded Lakers team playing for something, the Suns got much of nothing from just about everyone.
The Lakers jumped out to a 16-point lead, led by the 41-year-old Lebron James, who looked like he was getting ready for playoff competition. The Suns have yet to match the level needed to compete when the stakes are high.
The Suns were led by Dillon Brooks with a whopping 12 points, and in the mix of the game, they lost Grayson Allen to what appears to be a left hamstring injury. Allen grabbed at his leg after a play that did not look like much movement could cause an injury. Non-contact injuries are the scariest injuries to deal with because they almost always lead to long-term recovery. The game ended up a Lakers blowout, with the Suns making one push to erase a 16-point lead in the second quarter, then they proceeded to produce a 25-point second half.
The fourth quarter was on 9 points, as the team went 7.5 minutes without scoring a bucket. Both teams being shorthanded, this should have been a more competitive ballgame. The Lakers get the 101-73 win and are now ready to face the Suns, who appear to be ready to face the Blazers in the play-in game.
Lots of lobbying for opponents is going on in the final games of the regular season. The Suns are in a situation where they could end up playing both the Clippers and Blazers in this short tournament. They can potentially play the Blazers at home on Tuesday night. Should they lose that game and lose the 7th seed, they will then play the winner of the 9 and 10 game for the 8th seed.
The Clippers could beat the Warriors, and if so, they will face the Suns at the Mortgage Arena for the 8th seed and the right to play the OKC Thunder.
When you get the opportunity to make your pathway a little easier, you have to take advantage of it. It’s never gonna be easy for any of the bottom of the brackets, but at your level of play, you have to be playing at a level to take care of business. The Suns have yet to take the next step, and if they can’t find their team chemistry and rhythm, they will have two final home games to finish the season, much like we have seen over the last three years.
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