Suns' Frustrations 'High' After Another Loss

The Phoenix Suns weren't supposed to be in this position.

Apr 5, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns Frank Vogel claps during the first half of the game / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns know they can do better.

At first glance, their 105-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers isn't so bad. Not ideal - especially playing at home with LA missing Kawhi Leonard and James Harden - but certainly worse outcomes have been seen at Footprint Center.

Yet when you factor in Phoenix's embarrassing start to the game - a deficit that began 35-4 with the Suns claiming just ten points in the first quarter - only a win would have made up for quite frankly what was one of the worst efforts put on display by the Suns in some time.

Phoenix began the night making just two of their first 19 shots. Down the stretch where essentially every game is a must-win to avoid play-in tournament spots, the Suns sleptwalk through arguably the most important game to date.

The Suns eventually crawled back to make things interesting at the end, drawing Los Angeles' lead down to just eight, though the Clippers clung to victory when all was said and done.

"It's high. But we're manning together, and we're connected, and confident," Suns coach Frank Vogel said when asked about frustration levels.

“We didn’t play well enough, we didn’t execute, we didn’t make shots and when we got down, we started pressing and it snowballed," Vogel continued before going in on the team's toughness.

"We got to compete for spots and play through physicality better than we have. Not just in this game, but in recent games. Teams want to get into us and rebound us and foul us; that’s the playoff  basketball and offensively, we got to be tougher."

The Suns sit at 46-33 in the West as the Clippers play host to the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday. Phoenix now needs some extra help to avoid the play-in tournament with current possession of the No. 7 seed and one game trailing the New Orleans Pelicans ahead.