The Phoenix Suns’ chances of getting out of the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference took a major hit on Monday night. They went on the road and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who were playing without Victor Wembanyama, 104-102.
That loss dropped them a half-game behind the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, who have identical 42-29 records, for sixth place in the West. With a record of 42-30, the Suns are now sitting in eighth place, only 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Being in the NBA Play-In Tournament would be a failure of epic proportions for the Suns. They made some major moves over the last year, acquiring Kevin Durant ahead of last year’s trade deadline and Bradley Beal this summer from the Washington Wizards.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns Updates
However, avoiding that tournament became an even heavier task on Monday. Not only did they lose a game they should have won, but things are going to get even more challenging down the stretch of the season.
Two starters suffered injuries against the Spurs. Beal was forced out of the game because of a sprained right ring finger and did not return. On a positive note for him, x-rays on his ring finger did come back negative.
The other starter to go down with an injury was center, Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic left the game with a sprained right ankle and also did not return to the lineup. If he is going to miss time, it is a huge blow for the Suns to overcome.
Replacing two starters is hard enough to do, when you have to face off against strong competition, their losses will be felt even more. That is the daunting road Phoenix is facing, as their final 10 opponents this season have a combined winning percentage of .648 this season.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Phoenix Suns Updates
Phoenix has a matchup against the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets next on deck. They will also face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers twice apiece.
A game against the Kings will go a long way to determining who can avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament as well. You can never count out a team that has Kevin Durant and Devin Booker still in the lineup, but the Suns will certainly have their work cut out for them over the next few weeks.
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