It was a rough week for the Phoenix Suns. After finishing the previous week with a loss, the team endured its worst losing streak of the season and went 1–4 this week, losing their first four games and winning their last. Still sitting in 7th in the Western Conference, it’s looking like the Suns are going to be hosting a play-in game next month.
Here are the main questions for Week 22 we want your thoughts on:
Struggling in the Clutch
Two of the four Suns losses this week were by one possession, and Phoenix was leading the Celtics
late when they fell to Boston. Against San Antonio, the Suns struggled down the stretch, missing free throws, and in the final 7:49 during their loss to the Bucks, they allowed Milwaukee to go on a 24–14 run to close the game. The offense struggled numerous times down the stretch when it needed to perform to secure wins this week.
The team has had success throughout the season late in games, but this week was different. What do you think the main reason the team struggled to close out games this week was? How much does the arduous schedule the team had play into it? Would the losing streak have been shorter if the rotation had been healthier?
Getting Rest
With five games in seven days, including the first three being in three different cities, it was the busiest week of the season for the Suns, and they struggled through it. Phoenix has been depleted, and it continued to deal with the injury bug this week. Grayson Allen played on Monday against the Celtics and missed the rest of the week with a knee injury, and after not missing a game the whole year, Royce O’Neale has missed the last three games with knee soreness.
Mark Williams and Dillon Brooks remain on the shelf with their foot and hand injuries, respectively.
The good news for the Suns? After facing the Nuggets on Tuesday, they’ll have four days of rest until their next game. With the Playoffs and Play-In now less than a month away, how should Jordan Ott and company handle the rest of the season from a health standpoint? The Suns are four games behind the sixth seed and four-and-a-half ahead of the eighth seed.
Collin Gillespie is Turning it Around
After a rough start to the month, Collin Gillespie has gotten back into a rhythm in his past three games, averaging 19.3 points per game and hitting at least four threes in all three contests. During Sunday’s win against the Toronto Raptors, the guard went an efficient 6/9 from the field and 4/6 from deep, while Jalen Green and Devin Booker both scored at least 20 points.
Since both Booker and Green returned to the lineup, it had been a struggle for Gillespie to find his role in the offense as a scorer, but it looks like he’s done so. How encouraging is this recent streak from Gillespie playing alongside two ball-dominant scorers?
On the Suns’ Plate This Week
After their busiest week of the season, Phoenix will play just two games this week, hosting the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday. The large break between the two games without any travel is much needed for a Phoenix team running on fumes.
