PHOENIX SUNS

The road was not kind to the Phoenix Suns

Jan 14, 2014, 5:07 PM | Updated: 5:08 pm

Five games in seven days.

When the Phoenix Suns set out for their recently-concluded road trip, the prevailing thought was that the difficult stretch would be very important.

Just one of the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks had a non-losing record at the time they met up with Phoenix, giving the surprising Suns a real opportunity to pile up some wins.

Instead, they went 1-4, with losses by five, five, two and two points. Their lone win was by one point.

“For the fifth game in seven nights against a team that’s playing well, I thought they gave a heck of an effort,” Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said after the final game of the trip, a loss to the Knicks. “We didn’t make shots. Don’t know if it’s because it’s the end of the trip.”

Regardless, you better believe the Suns are happy to be back home, where their next five games will be played. No more snow, no more travel delays and no more hostile crowds.

Unfortunately, though, still no Eric Bledsoe, either.

“It’s a little bit harder now with Eric out. It’s much easier when you’re playing together and you have two ball handlers,” point guard Goran Dragic said after the Knicks game. “But it is what it is and I have to keep my head up.”

Besides the upcoming home stand, the good news for the Suns is that at 21-16 they still have a two-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, and are only one game back of the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh.

But as crucial as the five-game road trip was supposed to be, this cluster of home contests could be just as important. It should also be a bit more difficult, at least in terms of the quality of opponents. Starting off with the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday, the Suns will also host the Mavericks, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards.

The Lakers are struggling, but the Mavericks and Nuggets, as previously mentioned, are in the playoff hunt, while the Pacers have the best record in basketball and Wizards are currently an Eastern Conference playoff team.

A good stretch here could solidify the Suns as a playoff team; a bad one could put them on the outside looking in.

Phoenix Suns

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns during th...

Kellan Olson

Suns respond to season’s low point with thorough win over Nuggets

The guessing game of which Suns team shows up on which night persists. The best current version did on Wednesday in a win over the Nuggets.

7 hours ago

Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Boston Celtics at T...

David Veenstra

Bradley Beal in, Jusuf Nurkic out for Suns’ matchup with Nuggets

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is active for Wednesday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets while center Jusuf Nurkic is out.

11 hours ago

Tyler Kolek, Marquette...

Damon Allred

Here’s who Phoenix Suns fans should watch in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The Suns' first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft sits at No. 19 overall, and they could select a star from the NCAA Tournament.

15 hours ago

Phoenix Suns take on San Antonio Spurs...

Arizona Sports

O’Neale: Phoenix Suns took Spurs ‘too lightly’ in glaring loss

The Phoenix Suns' lack of effort was on display Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs, leading to an honest film session.

1 day ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Royce O’Neale: Suns took Spurs “a little too lightly”

Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale joined Burns & Gambo to talk about the team's disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and to look ahead at the team's remaining schedule, as they continue to make a push toward the NBA playoffs.

1 day ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: How the Suns lost to the Spurs before they stepped on the court

Burns & Gambo react to the Phoenix Suns stunning loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and try to figure out why it happened.

2 days ago

The road was not kind to the Phoenix Suns