Predicting all 82 games for the Phoenix Suns this season

This article is for the sickos. If you are not a basketball junkie, go ahead and scroll to the next page. This isn’t for you.

I am going to do an extensive exercise that will surely age poorly, but we’ll see how many I get correct. It’s an impossible mission due to the external factors that occur on a game-by-game basis throughout the rigors of an 82-game season.

There will be some games where teams rest starters against the Suns that I cannot predict. There will be injuries as well. Doing this is like

throwing a dart at a dartboard in a pitch-black room, hoping to hit a bullseye.

Overall Record Prediction: 35-47

Let’s take a look at how I got here.

First 10 games

*indicates the 2nd night of a back-to-back

vs. Sacramento Kings — W (1-0)
@ Los Angeles Clippers — L (1-1)
@ Denver Nuggets* — L (1-2)
@ Utah Jazz — W (2-2)
vs. Memphis Grizzlies — L (2-3)
vs. Utah Jazz — W (3-3)
vs. San Antonio Spurs — W (4-3)
@ Golden State Warriors — L (4-4)
vs. Los Angeles Clippers — L (4-5)
@ Los Angeles Clippers — L (4-6)

This is a whole lotta Clippers. The teams will face off three times in the opening ten games. Yeah, they’re gonna be sick of each other. I have them dropping all three games to the Clippers, but taking care of business against some of the bottom of the pack teams out West.

I just have a feeling the Clippers’ group of vets led by Ty Lue will have this young Suns’ team’s number this season.

Games 11-20

vs. New Orleans Pelicans — W (5-6)
@ Dallas Mavericks — L (5-7)
vs. Indiana Pacers* — W (6-7)
vs. Atlanta Hawks — W (7-7)
@ Portland Trail Blazers — W (8-7)
vs. Minnesota Timberwolves — L (8-8)
vs. San Antonio Spurs — L (8-9)
vs. Houston Rockets* — L (8-10)
@ Sacramento Kings — W (9-10)
@ Oklahoma City Thunder — L (9-11)

This stretch of games offers a massive opportunity for the Suns. There are several winnable games here that they MUST take advantage of if they want to exceed expectations. And of course, the big return of Kevin Durant to Phoenix looms here. The energy in the building that night will be electric.

Could they pull off an upset? I don’t love that it’s the second of a back-to-back, but I’m not ruling it out.

Games 21-30

vs. Denver Nuggets — L (9-12)
@ Los Angeles Lakers — L (9-13)
@ Houston Rockets — L (9-14)
@ Minnesota Timberwolves — L (9-15)
vs. Golden State Warriors — W (10-15)
@ Golden State Warriors — L (10-16)
vs. Los Angeles Lakers — L (10-17)
@ New Orleans Pelicans — W (11-17)
@ New Orleans Pelicans* — L (11-18)
@ Washington Wizards — W (12-18)

This is where the wheels could start to fall off and kill some of that early hope after hovering around or near .500. If they take care of business and steal a win from the Lakers and sweep the Pelicans in their weird two-game back-to-back roady in NOLA, then they could come out of this stretch a little less beat up.

Games 31-40

@ Cleveland Cavaliers — L (12-19)
vs. Sacramento Kings — W (13-19)
vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — L (13-20)
@ Houston Rockets* — L (13-21)
@ Memphis Grizzlies — W (14-21)
vs. New York Knicks — L (14-22)
vs. Washington Wizards — W (15-22)
@ Miami Heat — L (15-23)
@ Detroit Pistons — L (15-24)
@ New York Knicks — L (15-25)

This stretch is even tougher than the last. I’m giving them a road win over Memphis this time, but dropping both games to the Knicks. They’d better hope they take care of the Kings and Wizards, or this could be a season-ending stretch, depending on where they are in the standings entering it.

Games 41-50

@ Brooklyn Nets — W (16-25)
@ Philadelphia 76ers* — W (17-25)
@ Atlanta Hawks — W (18-25)
vs. Miami Heat — L (18-26)
vs. Brooklyn Nets — W (19-26)
vs. Detroit Pistons — W (20-26)
vs. Cleveland Cavaliers* — L (20-27)
vs. Los Angeles Clippers — L (20-28)
@ Portland Trail Blazers — L (20-29)
vs. Golden State Warriors — W (21-29)

Let’s get a nice little three-game win streak on the East Coast going, why not? There are some tough games in here, but overall, this looks like a prime opportunity to make up some ground.

Games 51-60

vs. Philadelphia 76ers — L (21-30)
vs. Dallas Mavericks — W (22-30)
vs. Oklahoma City Thunder* — L (22-31)
@ San Antonio Spurs — L (22-32)
vs. Orlando Magic — L (22-33)
vs. Portland Trail Blazers* — W (23-33)
vs. Boston Celtics — W (24-33)
vs. Los Angeles Lakers — W (25-33)
@ Sacramento Kings — L (25-34)
vs. Chicago Bulls — W (26-34)

Back-to-back home wins over the Celtics and Lakers in late February are going to feel good.

Games 61-70

vs. New Orleans Pelicans* — W (27-34)
vs. Charlotte Hornets — W (28-34)
@ Milwaukee Bucks — L (28-35)
@ Indiana Pacers — L (28-36)
@ Toronto Raptors* — L (28-37)
@ Boston Celtics — L (28-38)
@ Minnesota Timberwolves — L (28-39)
@ San Antonio Spurs — L (28-40)
vs. Milwaukee Bucks — W (29-40)
vs. Toronto Raptors* — W (30-40)

This is a sneaky, tough stretch. Both Toronto games are the second of a back-to-back, and they have a six-game road trip. They’re going to need to start and finish strong in between that patch of games.

Games 71-80

vs. Denver Nuggets — L (30-41)
vs. Utah Jazz — W (31-41)
@ Memphis Grizzlies — L (31-42)
@ Orlando Magic* — L (31-43)
@ Charlotte Hornets — W (32-43)
@ Chicago Bulls — W (33-43)
vs. Houston Rockets — L (33-44)
vs. Dallas Mavericks* — L (33-45)
@ Los Angeles Lakers — L (33-46)
@ Oklahoma City Thunder — W (34-46)

Now you’re probably wondering why we’re stuck at 34-46. That’s only 80 games, right?

The In-Season Tournament complicates things, as teams that do not qualify for the knockout rounds will play regular-season games on Dec. 11 & 12 and Dec. 14 & 15. So those games are tbd depending on how things shake out. Let’s call that an even split and say they go 1-1 in those games, putting them at 35-47.