Suns Stumble in NBA Power Rankings
The Phoenix Suns have been on a bit of a downward spiral as of late.
Once claiming the throne as the West's top team (record and play-wise), Phoenix has fallen from grace after losing their last five-of-six games.
Losses are a certainty down the stretch of a season, but looking inferior towards potential title contenders hasn't exactly settled stomachs in the Valley.
Their position in power rankings across the web shows:
Suns Stumble in NBA Power Rankings
NBA.com: No. 7
"Chris Paul is back and he had a patented, clutch, pull-up jumper from the right side of the lane on Sunday to send the Suns’ second game in New Orleans to overtime. But Paul also had 10 turnovers over his three games back (he had just 15 over his 10 pre-injury games), including the offensive foul that fouled him out of that game on Sunday. The Suns are now 0-4 in clutch games that Paul has played and 4-7 in clutch games overall after going 33-9 in games that were within five in the last five last season.
"More important than the clutch struggles is that the Suns have allowed 125.5 points per 100 possessions as they’ve lost four straight games for the first time since Games 3-6 of the 2021 Finals and the first time in the regular season since just before the league shut down in March of 2020. They’re 1-5 in December with the only win having come against the Spurs.
"Paul missed two of those losses and Devin Booker was out on Sunday, but the Suns were also outscored by 37 points in their 45 minutes on the floor together last week. This was the best team in the West through the first seven weeks of the season. Now it’s in fourth place, and it’s got a pretty tough (and road-heavy) schedule over the next month.
"The CP3 Reunion Tour continues through Houston and L.A. this week, and the Suns’ second rest-advantage game of the season is their second rest-advantage game against the Clippers. The first was a comfortable, wire-to-wire victory (also in L.A.) in Week 1."
The Athletic: No. 6
"It’s a little tough to judge the flow of the game for the Suns because they’ve endured so many absences. Cameron Johnson and Chris Paul have missed a lot of time, and Jae Crowder remains on permanent hiatus. Even with all that, the Suns are pretty good throughout these games, as expected, because this is a really good team. The Suns maintain through the first half, then jump all over opponents with adjustments coming out of halftime.
"Devin Booker scores 9.9 points per third quarter, so he’s taking charge to put the opponent in a hole. CP3’s return should help the clutch failures – despite the Suns’ positive net rating, they’re just 4-7 in 11 clutch games this season. He usually helps that tremendously … in the regular season.
Bleacher Report: No. 7
"Over the last couple of seasons, the Suns have moved into a title-or-bust phase, but that 125-98 loss in Phoenix suggests they'd be headed for a bust if they meet the Celtics in the Finals.
"Still, there's plenty of time between now and the playoffs (or June) for Phoenix to shore up any issues. Ideally for them, CP3 will be healthy and up to speed in terms of conditioning in any potential playoff matchup with other contenders. The same goes for Cameron Johnson, who's out with a torn meniscus.
"And between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline, the Suns will almost certainly turn Crowder, who's sitting out following a trade request, into something that will help the rotation.
"If all of those boxes are checked, and Devin Booker continues to play at an All-NBA level (he's putting up 29.6 points and 5.8 assists over his last 11 games), Phoenix should have a chance to get back to the sport's biggest stage."
The Suns have games against the Rockets,
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