As the final stretch of the season unfolds, there is a natural urge to believe the Suns can keep extending this unexpected run. But as the competition stiffens, as the games carry more weight for everyone involved, it becomes important to stay grounded in what this team has already accomplished.
They have outperformed expectations.
And if we expect them to keep pushing beyond that without resistance, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.Tuesday night in Minnesota was a reminder of that reality.
The opportunity was right there. A chance to close the gap in the standings against the very team you are chasing. A chance to shift momentum. Instead, the Suns ran into a Timberwolves team that brought length, disruption, and physicality, and Phoenix had no consistent answer. Minnesota deserves credit. They were everywhere. Arms in passing lanes, bodies at the rim, making every possession feel crowded and uncomfortable. Nothing came easy. They had 11 effin’ blocks!
On the other end, the Suns lost their edge again. That has started to become a trend. Against Toronto, they gave up 20 points in the paint in the fourth quarter. Against Boston, it was 10 in the final frame. Against Minnesota, they surrendered 10 points in the paint in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter and 16 overall in the period. That is not a one-off. That is what is happening right now.
You have to remind yourself of the context. This team is down two of its five starters. This team is young, still learning how to win, still learning how to navigate stretches like this when the games tighten and the margin shrinks. What you are watching right now are growing pains, and they live up to the name. They are painful.
You want cleaner execution, but it is not there. You want offensive sets that consistently free up shooters for easy looks, but it is not happening. You want recognition, an understanding of what the opponent is trying to do, and a response to it, and that awareness is still developing. So you watch opportunities slip. And that is the hard part, because you can see them. You can feel them. Games like this one in Minnesota, where the door is open for a moment, and then it closes.
With this loss, the reality tightens even more. The Suns feel locked into the seventh seed, and that carries its own weight. Hosting a Play-In game against a team like the Los Angeles Clippers is not a comfortable place to be. That is a battle, not a formality. And with 13 games left, trying to make up a three-game gap in the standings feels like a climb that gets steeper by the night.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
It was close. Very close. Haywood Highsmith was in the running to earn his first Bright Side Baller of the season, but even with 7 turnovers, the community gave Devin Booker’s 40-burger some love.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 69 against the Wolves. Here are your nominees:
Devin Booker
34 points (11-of-27, 1-of-7 3PT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 11-of-14 FT, 2 turnovers, -3 +/-
Oso Ighodaro
16 points (7-of-12), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, -6 +/-
Collin Gillespie
12 points (4-of-13, 3-of-9 3PT), 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -10 +/-
Royce O’Neale
9 points (3-of-6, 3-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, +4 +/-
Rasheer Fleming
9 points (3-of-7, 2-of-4 3PT), 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -11 +/-
Ryan Dunn
7 points (3-of-3, 1-of-1 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 0 turnovers, -10 +/-
Cast away, Wilson!
