Where Will Suns Finish in West Playoff Picture?

PHOENIX -- We're facing the final stretch of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, and the Phoenix Suns are all but set to compete in the postseason once again.

Competing is the bare minimum of expectations thanks to the star-power Phoenix currently has, as all chips have been pushed to the middle of the table to truly establish a "championship or bust" mentality in Phoenix for the foreseeable future.

As of the time of publish, the Suns are at No. 8 in the West with a 33-24 record. They've lost back-to-back games emerging out of the All-Star break but are one of three teams that are just one or less games back from the No. 5 spot.

With 25 games left, here's where Bleacher Report has Phoenix landing in the playoff picture:

Suns (No. 5 seed) vs Timberwolves (No. 4 seed)

"The rest of the NBA better hope the Suns' Big 3 doesn't get any prolonged stretches together before the playoffs or this is going to be a nightmare of a team to face in a seven-game series," wrote Greg Swartz.

"For now, early results are more than encouraging.

"Phoenix has a net rating of plus-12.0 in 908 total possessions with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all on the floor together. Royce O'Neale is a huge pickup who will play big minutes over the final two months as well.

"The NBA's toughest schedule will prevent the Suns from rising higher than fifth in the standings, though, meaning they'll be forced to open the playoffs on the road. A 15-11 record away from the desert sparks hope."

As for Minnesota, B/R is projecting them to drop from their No. 1 spot in the West.

"The Wolves are still (mostly) hanging on to the No. 1 seed, but don't be surprised to see them fall slightly before the playoffs begin," wrote Swartz.

"Nothing against Minnesota, but there's a ton of talent at the top of the West. The Los Angeles Clippers (17-5), Phoenix Suns (16-7) and Oklahoma City Thunder (15-8) all have better records than the Wolves (15-9) since the calendar flipped to 2024.

"Still, an elite defense should keep Minnesota from sliding too far, and the schedule is relatively easy as well.

"A first-round matchup against the high-powered Suns isn't ideal, but the Wolves would have a huge advantage in the paint against a wing-heavy Phoenix team."

The two sides only faced once, which came early in the regular season with the Suns winning in 133-115 fashion. They're set to play each other for the final game of the regular season.