Phoenix Suns ascend in ESPN rankings amid 7-Game win streak
Riding the momentum of an impressive seven-game win streak, the Phoenix Suns have ascended in ESPN’s Week 7 NBA power rankings.
Moving up from the 11st spot, the Suns were ranked 7th, with the reasoning
“A seven-game winning streak has lifted the Suns to 11-6, meaning they’ve basically won two out of every three games this season with only two of their Big Three available, as Bradley Beal (back) has been out. They’ll have their biggest test thus far with a playoff rematch versus the Nuggets on Friday — a team they could beat only two times in six tries in the postseason before trading for Beal.”
Topping the power rankings were the Boston Celtics at #1, trailed by the 76ers in 2nd place, the Nuggets in 3rd, the Timberwolves in 4th, the Bucks in 5th, and the Thunder in 6th.
While some might argue that the Suns deserve a higher spot in the rankings, it’s crucial to acknowledge the impact of their early-season schedule.
Facing teams such as the 3-13 Grizzlies, 5-12 Trail Blazers, the Jazz (currently 6-11) three times, the 2-15 Pistons, and the 3-14 Spurs twice, nearly half of the Suns’ games have been against opponents with sub-.400 winning percentages.
Dunks & Threes reports that the Suns boast the easiest schedule among all NBA teams thus far this season, a factor worth considering when evaluating their current standing.
As ESPN rightly pointed out, a true litmus test awaits Phoenix this Friday as they square off against the Denver Nuggets, providing an opportunity for the Suns to prove their mettle against a more challenging opponent.
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Suns Look to Extend Winning Streak vs Raptors
The Phoenix Suns (11-6) will face off against the Toronto Raptors (8-10) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto later today.
The Raptors are fresh off of a 115-103 defeat at the hand of the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night and have been quite average/uninspiring in most aspects roughly a quarter into the season.
While the Raptors have brought an up-and-down product to the court, they are still a team that possesses ample NBA talent and could certainly find a way to make this a competitive contest.
Three things to watch going into the game:
Gary Trent Jr. History Against Suns
Gary Trent Jr. has been a player that has simply had the Suns’ number in recent history.
Trent’s scoring outputs in his last three meetings against Phoenix are 42, 35, and 21.
His 42-point effort was notably in a game in March 2022 when Phoenix was chasing the number-one seed in the Western Conference and a franchise record in wins. The Raptors won the game 117-112- in a game where the Suns put a great performance together themselves.
The dynamic guard has struggled this season, averaging just 11 PPG on mediocre efficiency, but Suns fans know all too well that Trent is a flamethrower scorer that can tilt the outcome of the game in Toronto’s favor.
Raptors’ Balanced Attack
The Raptors once again have a squad that lacks a clear superstar talent (Pascal Siakam could be considered a star).
The Raptors have six players averaging double figures to attempt make up for the lack of a Kawhi Leonard- Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Dennis Schroeder, O.G. Anunoby, Jakob Poeltl, and Trent Jr.
The Raptors also happen to have four players that average at least six rebounds per game, and three that average at least five assists a night.
This balanced Toronto attack makes them a threat to steal a win any given night, even in the absence of a true superstar talent. Phoenix needs to lean into the balance their own depth has to compliment the potency Booker and potentially Durant can bring on offense.
Jusuf Nurkic and Jakob Poeltl is far from the most exciting potential matchup, but the uncertainty surrounding Durant’s status for the game quite possibly makes the big-man duel the most important in this particular game.
Shockingly, Nurkic has averaged more blocks and steals per game than Poeltl, who has built much of his reputation around being a stringent defender.
Nurkic also has the advantage as a passer/playmaker – which will in turn make the Suns more difficult to defend than the Raptors in theory.
Nurkic has also had a stronger rebounding season as well, and his offensive rebounding prowess has notably created many more opportunities for the Suns to score this season.
While it’s not a marquee matchup, it’s an important one. Nurkic might just have the advantage here as well.
The Suns and Raptors are set to tip off shortly after 5:30 PM Arizona time and will be broadcast locally on AZ Family.
