Lucky sevens! The Phoenix Suns played consistently in their 124-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Devin Booker had a magnificent game, going for 52 points, and made a regular season career-high eight three-pointers. All five starters strongly contributed to the victory, and the Valley have now won the season series against the Pels and are just one game back of them for the coveted six seed.
The team’s strong performance is another example of why they must avoid the Play-In Tournament at all costs. Yes, I know, this is all that we Bright Siders talk about of late, but it’s super duper important for the team’s postseason outlook!!
Want to know what the Suns had for this game? Rest!
For the first time in about two weeks, the team had two nights of rest between games. Coming out of the gate in the first quarter, the Valley played like the team with the rest advantage, moving the ball quickly and getting up a lot of threes. Phoenix scored 46 points and made nine threes, the most points and tying their most threes of any quarter this season.
Phoenix looked springy, motivated, and energized throughout the game, especially when they needed it most, putting New Orleans away when they made a late run in the fourth.
The extra six or seven days of being in the top six of their Conference is invaluable. The regular season ends April 14. The playoffs start April 20. Phoenix has had to have their foot on the gas the entirety of the season, dealing with injuries, terrible fourth quarters, and a gauntlet of a schedule down the stretch.
Sure, the Suns’ three most likely first-round playoff opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder, have had their fair share of challenging games and health concerns recently while battling for the one-seed.
None of those teams are in the Suns’ position. It’s a lot of their own doing, but Phoenix must play every night like it’s a game 7. The teams tussling at the top of the West may be battling for something, but it’s to be able to dance at their place more times than their opponents in any conference series. The Suns still need to secure their ticket to any dance.
We saw how the team played with just an extra day of rest than what they usually play with; imagine what they would look like with six or seven days. Maybe Phoenix’s turnover problems would be just as apparent. Potentially, the fourth-quarter woes would be just as damaging, but the team’s legs would be fresher, something invaluable for a squad with 57% of its top seven over the age of 30.
Everything with this team is a surprise, so we shall wait and see what happens. Your guess is as good as mine for figuring out Phoenix’s seed. They could end up as the 9th or the 5th seed, and I wouldn’t be shocked.
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