These are the dog days of the season. Legs get heavy. Minds wander. Teams start peeking at the calendar, counting down the days until the All-Star break like it is a lifeboat. But in Phoenix, this part of the schedule feels different. Even on nights off, you can stare at the standings and feel real hope. Other teams lose, you inch up, and that only happens because you have earned the right to care.
So yeah, like most of you, I have been scoreboard watching. Quietly rooting for Western Conference chaos.
I even threw a little money on the perfect Suns scenario last night. And if you have lived this life long enough, you know how that usually ends. Something always goes sideways.
Being a Suns fan teaches you to expect turbulence. But right now, even with that history, it feels okay to look up and dream a little. And for once, the basketball gods did not pull the rug out from under Phoenix.
While the Suns rested, the rest of the league finally caught up in games played. Houston is still sitting at 42, two fewer than Phoenix, but that math always evens out. You cannot hide forever.
So we had three games circled, three little stress tests for the standings, and all three broke the Suns’ way. Houston lost in overtime to Philadelphia, a Sixers team Phoenix had already handled, even if that version was missing Joel Embiid and Paul George. I do find an odd delight in seeing their boards flooded with the “KD is so good, why do we keep losing” conversations. Hmmm. I think I have some reasons why…
Chicago then did the funniest thing imaginable and knocked off Minnesota 120-115, pushing the Timberwolves a half game behind the Suns. And then came the battle of Los Angeles. Clippers versus Lakers, in an actual home building, not that rented Crypto situation. The Clippers took care of business by winning 112-104, stayed hot, and reminded everyone why the Play-In is not a place you want to be. Because they are lurking.
So what does it all mean? It means the Suns are fifth in the Western Conference. Fifth. In late January. The last time Phoenix was sitting fifth this late was March 1, 2024. They are tied with Houston at 9.5 games back of OKC, and sit 2.5 games back of Denver.
That is real. That is earned. And for once, the night broke exactly how a Suns fan dreams it up, without the universe stepping in to ruin the ending.
None of it matters if you do not take care of your own business. The Suns have a real opportunity tonight as Houston plays Detroit. Beat Atlanta, and you move ahead of Houston and slide into fourth place in the West. Simple math. Hard reality.
The problem is the building. Atlanta has been a house of horrors for Phoenix. They have not won there since March of 2014. That is not a typo. That is a decade of weird bounces, bad vibes, and games that get away.
Scoreboard watching is fun. Tossing a little money on the perfect parlay is fun too, especially when it hits. But all of that is noise if you do not handle what is in front of you. Focus on Atlanta. Play clean. Finish the trip. Let everything else sort itself out. Tonight, that is the job.
