This Suns Road Trip May Reveal Exactly Who They Are

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns begin a six-game road trip tonight when they take on the Miami Heat.

The nearly two-week trip will be part of a rare 12-game stretch where Phoenix will continue to play exclusively Eastern Conference teams.

The Suns enter the road trip on a hot streak having won nine of their last 11 games, making them 24-15 on the year and one of the biggest surprises in the NBA as they now sit in sixth place in the Western Conference.

Here's a quick look at the six teams they will face on the road trip:

Jan. 13 - Miami Heat (20-19)

Jan 10, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Suns start off the trip against a Heat team that is on a three-game losing streak depsite being relatively healthy.

The Heat, who have a top-5 defense this season, have allowed 120 or more points in all three of these losses and shot 42.3% from the field on offense.

Phoenix cannot take Miami lightly, as it certainly has the talent to make it a competitive game and will be trying to get back on track.

Norman Powell, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer, is leading the Heat in scoring at 23.8 points per game. Powell is currently listed as questionable against the Suns.

Jan. 15 - Detroit Pistons (28-10)

Jan 4, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) brings the ball up court against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Although the Suns have been a big surprise team, the Pistons have arguably been the biggest in the league.

Detroit has held onto the No. 1 seed in the East since a 13-game win streak early in the season.

The Pistons, despite their record, have some pretty bad losses this season and last fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 98-92 on Saturday.

Like the Suns, Detroit hangs its hat on forcing turnovers and scoring points off of them. The Pistons are tied with Phoenix and Oklahoma City for first in the NBA in steals per game (10.4), rank second in defensive rating (109.7) and third in points off turnovers (21.6).

Cade Cunningham leads the Pistons averaging 26.7 points, 9.7 assists and 1.5 steals.

Jan. 17 - New York Knicks (25-14)

Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Suns will play New York on Saturday in a rematch of last Friday's game in which Phoenix won 112-107 behind 31 points from Devin Booker.

The Knicks found a bit of a rhythm in this game after a hot start by Phoenix, but the Suns' defense down the stretch helped them to pull off the win.

New York picked up a win over the Portland Trail Blazers last night, but has been struggling as of late, and the Knicks will definitely be looking for revenge against the Suns at Madison Square Garden in what will be their first game back in New York after their own six-game road trip.

The Knicks have the No. 3 offensive rating (120.3) in the NBA this season, so Phoenix will attempt to slow them down once again.

Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks averaging 28.9 points and 6.3 assists.

Jan. 19 - Brooklyn Nets (11-25)

Jan 9, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) talks to forward Danny Wolf (2) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets may look a little different when the Suns play them with their leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. being the centerpiece in a lot of trade talks right now.

No matter what, this should be a game the Suns should easily be able to handle, as Brooklyn has lost three in a row and six of its last seven games.

Porter and Cam Thomas lead a Nets team that is filled with rookies after they had five first-round picks over the summer.

Jan. 20 - Philadelphia 76ers (21-16)

Jan 11, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Suns will play the second leg of a back-to-back the following day against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philadelphia has been relatively healthy the past month or so after being riddled with injuries the last couple seasons.

Tyrese Maxey is third in the NBA with 30.9 points per game on the year, while Joel Embiid is averaging 23.5 points in 19 games as he works back from his lingering knee injury.

Phoenix will hope it blows out Brooklyn to give its key players some rest ahead of this matchup in Philadelphia.

Jan. 23 - Atlanta Hawks (20-21)

Jan 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forwards Jalen Johnson (1) and Zaccharie Risacher (10) react after a basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Hawks are the only team besides the Knicks that the Suns have played this season, as they now enter a new era after trading away Trae Young last week.

Atlanta beat Phoenix 124-122 on Nov. 16 after coming back from down 22 points in the fourth quarter in what was arguably the Suns' most disappointing loss of the season.

The Suns will have this in mind in this rematch against the Hawks and will have two full days of rest to prepare for it after the 76ers game.

Coming off a very rough December, the Hawks are currently on a three-game winning streak and are led by Jalen Johnson's 23.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists on the year.