I wrote the other day about tiers, about where the Suns land in the larger food chain. Fourth tier felt fair at the time. Respectable, competitive, hanging around. Week 11 nudged that conversation forward.
Maybe this is a third-tier team now, the kind that can win a playoff round or two and make things uncomfortable.
Beating Oklahoma City helps spark that thought, no doubt, but the logic holds because the work backs it up. They are beating the teams they are supposed to beat, and they are showing up against the heavyweights.
Phoenix is now 13-4 against teams under .500. More importantly, the 8-10 record against teams over .500 is what makes them interesting. That is the line between respectable and dangerous. Add in the fact that they sit only two games out of the three seed, and suddenly the standings start whispering instead of laughing.
Week 11 captured all of it in a neat little snapshot. They handled the two teams under .500 that they faced. The two teams over .500, Cleveland and Oklahoma City, they split.
That is the Suns experience right now. Night after night, the effort shows up. Even when they are down 18 like they were against the Thunder, or down 16 like they were against the Cavs, they keep swinging. They do not fold. They do not disappear. They turn every game into work. The lingering question now is not whether they believe in themselves. It is whether the rest of the league is ready to believe too.
Week 11 Record: 3-1
@ Washington Wizards, W, 115-101
- Possession Differential: +5.7
- Turnover Differential: -5
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +11
Washington tried to turn the night into a track meet, all youth and chaos, seventh in pace and proud of it. Phoenix did not bite. Jordan Ott burned timeouts early, the Suns slowed the game, and then did the adult thing. They closed.
@ Cleveland Cavaliers, L, 129-113
- Possession Differential: +0.4
- Turnover Differential: -1
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +5
There is no shame in what happened in Cleveland. It was a reminder that there are levels to this, and the Suns are still climbing. They have outperformed expectations, no argument there, but some teams are deeper, stronger, and more complete right now. That is okay. This is a transition year. It matters to remember that.
vs. Sacramento Kings, W, 123-114
- Possession Differential: -1.8
- Turnover Differential: -9
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: -7
New year, same Suns energy.
Devin Booker detonated early with 27 first-half points, set the tone, bent the floor, and turned the fourth quarter into a spectator sport. Yes, Sacramento is a mess. That is the point. Serious teams handle those nights cleanly. Phoenix did, and it fit perfectly into a quietly strong week.
vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, W, 108-105
- Possession Differential: -2.6
- Turnover Differential: +6
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +10
Phoenix knocked off the NBA’s best and it felt heavier than a normal win. Devin Booker supplied the signature moment. The Suns bullied Oklahoma City on the glass 49–29, got unexpected juice from role players, and proved they can take a punch and keep swinging. No style points awarded, but this one mattered. Same win column, different echo.
Inside the Possession Game
- Weekly Possession Differential: +1.7
- Weekly Turnover Differential: -9
- Offensive Rebounding Differential: +19
- Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +7
Graph time? Sure!
Week 12 Preview
Week 12 opens with a nice little middle finger from the NBA schedulers. After seeing Oklahoma City at home last night, the Suns hop on a plane and land in Houston for another one tonight. Phoenix sits at 2-3 on the second night of back-to-backs, and the list of opponents in those spots tells the story. Indiana. New Orleans. Houston. Denver twice. And now Houston again. I am not firing up another scheduling rant, but come on. This is absurd.
On Wednesday, the Suns will be in Memphis, a team they lost by one point back in late October. That night quietly flipped the season. Since then, they are 19-10. Week 12 wraps back home with two games. New York on Friday. Washington on Sunday, a team with some spice, and one Phoenix handled by 14 earlier this week.
2-2? 4-0? Where do you have the Suns landing this week?
