It was an up-and-down month of March for the Phoenix Suns. The team had a four-game win streak and a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season. With everything said and done, the team finished 8-8 during the month and ended up in the same spot it started: seventh place in the Western Conference.
It’s looking likely Phoenix will end the regular season in that spot, although there is still a possibility that the Clippers or Trail Blazers could catch them. If everything stays as is, however,
the Suns would host a Play-In game for the first time in franchise history. All that is left between them and that possibility is the remainder of their regular-season schedule.
Here’s how the calendar shapes up for April:
Finishing up the Road Trip
- Thursday, April 2nd @ Charlotte Hornets
- Sunday, February 5th @ Chicago Bulls
The Suns played both teams in the month of March, splitting results as they went 1-1 against the Charlotte/Chicago combo.
Phoenix handled Charlotte 111-99 but suffered one of its worst losses of the season against the Bulls, losing 105-103. The Suns couldn’t get into a rhythm and shot worse than 40% from the field. Charlotte projects to be a tough matchup because of their youth and ability to shoot. Chicago is officially eliminated, so the matchup should be a bit easier than Charlotte’s, but that wasn’t the case for the Suns in March.
Last Home Stand
- Tuesday, April 7th vs Houston Rockets (NBC/Peacock)
- Wednesday, April 8th vs Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix’s games against the two Texas teams are their last two home games of the regular season, but their game against the Rockets will be the first time Kevin Durant returns to the Mortgage Matchup Center since he was traded.
Durant’s relationship with the Suns? Complicated, to say the least. One of the greatest players to don a Phoenix jersey, his tenure with the team didn’t end as anyone wanted it to, with the squad winning just one playoff series during his tenure, despite the future Hall of Famer continuing to put up elite numbers and playing alongside Devin Booker.
It will be interesting to see the type of reception he gets in the nationally televised showdown.
Two Playoff Foes
- Friday, April 10th @ Los Angeles Lakers
- Sunday, April 12th @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Funnily enough, the team’s last two games are against the only squads that the Suns face five times this season, thanks to the results of the In-Season Tournament. Both the Suns and their opponents in this stretch may have their seeds clinched, so the potential for many players to rest in these games is on the table. Both the Thunder and Lakers are possible first-round matchups, though the Thunder are the more likely.
The Playoff/Play-In Schedule Outlook
While the dates are not set, if the Suns are in the Western Conference 7/8 game as either seed and win, they’ll be the seventh seed. If they lose, they’ll host the winner of the West’s 9/10 game. If they win that game, they’ll be the eighth seed; if they lose it, their season ends.
The NBA Playoffs begin April 18th.
