Suns Maintain No. 2 Spot in The Athletic's Power Rankings
The Phoenix Suns once again hold one of the top spots in The Athletic's power rankings.
Understandably being behind the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns occupy the only other spot in the championship contender category.
Phoenix did manage to find their second loss of the season, once again falling to the Portland Trail Blazers by a two-point margin.
However, the Suns were able to bounce back, much like good teams are able to do.
Here's what Zach Harper offered on Phoenix's position at No. 2:
"Once again, the Suns are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. They were sixth in defensive rating two years ago. They were third in defensive rating last season, and they’re currently third again. Not giving up points in transition is a big part of that. It can be tricky with a team like Phoenix because the Suns take a lot of jumpers, and that can lead to long rebounds and quick chances. But the Suns under Monty Williams have made transition defense a mentality, and they’re not even giving up 100 points per 100 possessions in transition. That’s a dominant performance when you’re supposed to be at a disadvantage."
The Suns finished ahead of Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta to round out the top five.
Phoenix is set to play the first of a four-game road trip tonight vs. Philadelphia.
How will the Suns fare down the stretch without Cam Johnson? Can Devin Booker continue his rampant pace of scoring? Will Phoenix's bench step up when called upon again?
These are questions that will again be answered after another week of basketball, but the Suns currently find themselves in tremendous position to begin a new slate of games.
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