The Phoenix Suns are sitting in the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Mid January. Say that out loud a couple of times and let it breathe. Those are words I did not expect to type outside of October this season. This team is not exceeding expectations; they are running them over and checking the rearview mirror. And they are doing it while playing some of the cleanest, most connected basketball in the league right now.
Week 12 flirted with perfection. Had it not been for a Kevin Durant buzzer-beater, this thing goes 4-0. Even so, as the week wraps, Durant’s current team is staring up at the Suns in the standings. That sentence would have sounded like bad fan fiction back last summer. Yet here we are, living in it.
What did we learn this week? That it is really good to have Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale on your team. Because they took turns having nights that mattered. Not loud nights. Not headline nights. Margin nights. The kind that quietly tilt games in your favor.
Devin Booker did not have to drop 30 every time out. He scored 13 against Memphis. He scored 17 against Washington. Both were comfortable wins. That tells you everything. This team is locked in on the margins right now. The loose balls. The extra pass. The timely three. The hustle that never shows up cleanly in the box score. That is winning basketball, and the Suns are living there at the moment.
Now comes the real question. Does it hold? Can this sustain as the Suns pack their bags and head out on the road? That is the test. But if you are wondering what Week 12 actually looked like in real time, here it is.
Week 12 Record: 3-1
@ Houston Rockets, L, 100-7
Possession Differential: -3.0
Turnover Differential: -4
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -4
Monday in Houston was pure Murphy’s Law for the Suns, a night where the universe kept tripping them on the way to the rim. Travel chaos, a delayed takeoff, clock malfunctions, and endless stoppages set the tone.
Still, Phoenix fought through it, led at halftime, and made one last push before tired legs betrayed them. Then, because basketball loves irony, Kevin Durant buried the buzzer-beater. Second made three on 12 tries. Script written.
@ Memphis Grizzlies, W, 117-98
Possession Differential: +3.4
Turnover Differential: +1
Offensive Rebounding Differential: 0
Wednesday night was pure Cobra Kai basketball. Memphis showed up with nearly $81 million in street clothes, and the Suns showed no mercy in a win that never felt competitive.
Phoenix suffocated the Grizzlies early, holding them under 25 points in every quarter and under 100 for the fifth time this season. Then came the avalanche. 22 made threes, a season high, raining in from everyone.
When a team limps in, you sweep the leg. Phoenix did exactly that.
vs. New York Knicks, W, 112-107
Possession Differential: +2.9
Turnover Differential: -8
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -7
Phoenix felt the wobble against the Knicks, but refused to fall. A 12-point third-quarter cushion gave them air, and when New York came swinging, the Suns answered with grit.
Grayson Allen turned into a menace, cashing free throws and making the play, sprinting past Mikal Bridges to fire the ball off him and seal it. Brunson blinked. Phoenix didn’t. Another win built on effort, pressure, and zero interest in backing down.
vs. Washington Wizards, W, 112-93
Possession Differential: -1.6
Turnover Differential: -
Offensive Rebounding Differential: +3
This was supposed to be a trap game. It looked like one on paper, felt like one in the schedule, and smelled like one with bags half packed for the East Coast.
The Suns never flinched.
Phoenix came out sharp, connected, and borderline rude, piling up 32 assists on 40 made shots and letting the bench crack it open in the second quarter. Pressure everywhere. Hands everywhere. Washington unraveled because Phoenix made them. Run straight through the trap, take the win, and wake up as the sixth seed in the West. Clean work.
Inside the Possession Game
Weekly Possession Differential: +1.7
Weekly Turnover Differential: -19
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -8
Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +9
It was the Suns’ best week of the season when it comes to turnover differential, and even though they lost the battle on the glass, they still walked away 9 games over .500 for the first time all year. Translation: the way they are living off extra possessions right now is by taking care of the ball, and ball security continues to turn into wins.
Dig a little deeper, and the week gets even louder. Phoenix finished at plus 40, tied for second best in the NBA. Their defensive rating checked in at 101.8, third best in the league for Week 12. Net rating. Plus 10.8, also third. They ranked seventh in assist percentage, fourth in fast break points, and tied for second in fewest fast break points allowed. Add in a league-best 52.8% shooting in clutch situations, and it is clear. This team can beat you in a lot of different ways.
Week 13 Preview
Week 13. Lucky 13, if you are into that sort of thing. How lucky will the Suns be this week? And how much luck will they need to hold on to the sixth seed?
It kicks off with the longest road trip of the season, a six-game journey that sends the Suns straight into an East Coast grind. This is the trip. The next time Phoenix plays at home will not be until Sunday, January 25.
It starts Tuesday night in South Beach against the Miami Heat. Then it is up to Detroit on Thursday. After that, New York on Saturday. Every one of those teams sits above .500 and is firmly in the playoff picture out East.
The back half of the trip softens a bit, but this front end is a real test. A test of focus. A test of legs. A test of whether this Suns group can carry its identity across time zones and hostile buildings. This is where you find out what travels.
Votin’ time! How will the Suns do next week?