Phoenix Sun’s back is against the wall.
Reaching the Western Conference Play-in tournament is a long shot, but now Sun’s margin is for wrong.
Phoenix enters Wednesday night’s home game against Oklahoma City Thunder three matches behind Dallas Mavericks for place # 10 in the conference with three remaining matches.
After Wednesday’s game, Suns will host San Antonio on Friday before closing the regular season in Sacramento on Sunday.
Phoenix (35-44) enters Wednesday’s game on a seven-game losing line, their longest since December 2019.
“Just have to win, what it takes,” said Suns guard Bradley Beal. “We have three left.”
The last loss was 133-95 Tuesday to the Golden State, said a game that Beal said was embarrassing.
“We can’t just as well show up,” he said after the route.
Four seasons ago, the Phoenix NBA final did after missing the playoffs for ten seasons in a row.
After back-to-back second round losses, Suns was eliminated in the first round last season and is now probably on its way to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
It’s hard for Phoenix star Devin Booker to hit his mind.
“When you have a season so bad, it’s a lot of things,” Booker said as he asked what the most difficult part has been. “So I think the most frustrating part is to be so close a few years ago, and now, back to where we are.”
Phoenix has been without Kevin Durant in four games in a row with a left ankle.
While Suns is struggling with reality in reducing the playoffs hopes, Thunder (65-14) continues to look forward to the season.
Oklahoma City comes from a 136-120 home victory over Lakers on Tuesday to share a two-game distance against Los Angeles and stop Thunder’s other two-game losing streak of the season.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said that the last two games against Lakers will be advantageous for his young team.
“All the things we experienced in these last couple games, we will experience entering the playoffs,” said Daigneault. “Play against good teams, we will have times where it is difficult to score. Each team makes in the playoffs. There will be times where really good players make really tough shots, there are really good teams in the playoffs, and we will have to endure together through it.”
Oklahoma City will end the season with games in Utah and New Orleans – who have both been eliminated from the battle season – after wearing Suns.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the leading challenger for the NBA’s most valuable player awards this season, said that his team cannot afford to let things slip over the last games even with their status as the top seed in the Western Conference secured.
“We use the regular season to build habits and build habits over neighborhoods, over games, leading to winning games,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The more you build the good habits, the more games you win, and it just prepares for the stage that we should continue.”
Thunder has won both meetings with Suns this season, including 140-109 in their latest matchup, February 5 in Oklahoma City.
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