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After a very disappointing season, the Phoenix Suns' play-in chances are finally looking brighter with 18 games to go.
With Sunday's 125-116 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the Suns moved to 1.5 games back of Dallas for the No. 10 seed, which is the final play-in spot. They also clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mavericks, finishing the season series with a 3-1 record.
Phoenix now sits at 30-34 on the year, while the Mavericks fell to 32-33.
The Suns still face an uphill climb the rest of the regular season with the No. 1 most difficult remaining schedule in the league.
However, the Mavericks are in an even worse spot with Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL last week and uncertain timetables on the injuries of Anthony Davis (adductor strain), Daniel Gafford (knee sprain), Dereck Lively II (ankle fracture) and P.J. Washington Jr. (ankle sprain).
Here is how the full Western Conference play-in picture now looks after the Suns' victory over the Mavericks:
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-25)
8. Los Angeles Clippers (34-29)
9. Sacramento Kings (33-29)
10. Dallas Mavericks (32-33)
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11. Phoenix Suns (30-34)
12. Portland Trail Blazers (28-36)
The Suns have a lot of ground to make up if they want to get higher than the No. 10 seed, but this last spot now appears to be theirs if everything goes right based on the Mavericks' circumstances.
Phoenix will play the Kings two more times, so the Suns could also close the gap with Sacramento by winning these matchups.
As the standings currently are, if Phoenix does clinch this No. 10 seed, it would travel to play the No. 9 Kings and the winner of this game would move on to play the loser of the No. 7 Timberwolves and No. 8 Clippers.
Whoever wins this second matchup would play the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Suns are back in action Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
More must-reads:
- LeBron James expected to miss at least another week
- Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to make MVP case in win vs. Pistons
- The 'Active NBA players with the most 20-point games in a season' quiz
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Miami Heat Could Acquire $212 Million Superstar This Summer
It has become pretty clear that the Miami Heat are nowhere near up to the mark since the Jimmy Butler trade to the Golden State Warriors. Currently, they are on a seven-game losing streak and find themselves in ninth in the East. They are just one win better than the Chicago Bulls, who are in the middle of a rebuild and have parted with key players like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso over the past year. The Heat acquired Andrew Wiggins as part of the Butler trade. While the Warriors have improved tremendously since then, the same cannot be said about the team from Miami. On an individual level, Wiggins has been performing well. That has not contributed to wins though. Could it be time to trade him in the summer once again? Another player who could be on the move in the summer is Paul George. The Philadelphia 76ers signed him to a four-year, $212 million contract but so far, his stint with the Sixers has been a major flop, as they have gone from Championship contenders to draft lottery hopefuls. Recent rumours suggest that the 76ers are open to trading George in the summer, just a year after he joined the organization. Alex Walsh of TWSN has suggested a trade that would see the Heat receive George while the 76ers would get Wiggins, Terry Rozier and a 2026 1st Rounder. Would signing George be the right step for the Heat? On top of his game, he is one of the best players in the league. But there are fears that at 34 years of age, he has entered his decline as a player and has not been helped by a variety of fitness issues he has faced throughout the course of the season. The Heat do need to do something but taking on George's mega contract after seeing him struggle in Philadelphia would not be a smart move if you ask us.
Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark 'wishes' legendary HC Mike Tomlin would leave Pittsburgh amid turmoil
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL in Mike Tomlin. He's been one of the best in the league since taking over the team in 2007, but he has not won a Super Bowl since the 2008 season. Pittsburgh is a city that is used to winning Super Bowls, and it has been far too long since the team has looked like a legitimate threat to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The organization has been in a state of turmoil in recent years, and the late-season collapse to end 2024 has the fan base on edge when it comes to Tomlin. A large portion of the fan base was calling for Tomlin's job after Pittsburgh lost its final four games of the regular season and then got embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the postseason. As expected, Tomlin kept his job. He signed an extension ahead of the 2024 season, so the organization is financially committed to the coach for the foreseeable future. Many former players and people in the media defend Tomlin, as the belief is that he consistently overachieves with the roster he has. Someone who consistently defends Tomlin is Ryan Clark, his former player. Clark did that again during an appearance on "First Take," as he suggested Tomlin leave the organization on his own accord. "The fact that this team continues to be competitive, the fact that you can look at this roster and say in many places, 'Oh, they gotta get better there. Oh, they gotta get better there,'" Clark began to explain. "And the fact that this team, to me, at least early every season overachieves and Mike Tomlin gives you a chance to compete, but yet you want to go do something else. That's why I've been saying I wish they'd do it. I wish Mike Tomlin would walk into the office of Omar Khan and say, 'It's time for me to go have my Andy Reid second act. It's time for me to go somewhere else with a new, a new group of players in a new locker room that my voice will resonate with and go win more Super Bowls.'" Clark may have a bit of a bias toward Tomlin. The two were in Pittsburgh together for seven seasons, and the duo went to two Super Bowls and won one. The reality of the situation is that the Steelers have not been competitive enough to make it to a Super Bowl in over a decade, and a team led by Tomlin has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Clark references Andy Reid, who consistently had a competitive team as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was never able to win a Super Bowl with Philadelphia, which led to him being fired. He was hired almost immediately by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he has had endless success. The same could happen for Tomlin, as he would be a hot commodity if he and Pittsburgh ever parted ways. Steelers' Mike Tomlin creates his own issues The excuse that he has overachieved with the talent on his rosters is invalid, as the head coach of 18 years has a lot of say in how the roster is constructed. He has almost complete say in who the organization brings in, as well as other roster moves. A down year every once in a while is completely understandable. However, not winning a playoff game in eight seasons is not. Some serious changes need to be seen in Pittsburgh as well as some results. Being competitive in the regular season is not enough, and the fan base is getting restless.
The Aaron Rodgers waiting game suddenly makes sense
Aaron Rodgers has taken much longer than expected to sign with a new team in free agency, and the reason for that has become obvious in recent days. Rodgers wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings, and the level of interest may not be mutual. At the start of free agency on Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers had outstanding offers to become the new starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers or New York Giants. Neither of those teams have signed a veteran quarterback as Rodgers continues to weigh his options. One theory on why Rodgers has been so deliberate with his decision is that the 41-year-old wants the Vikings to get involved in the bidding. It may not be a bidding war that Rodgers is after, however. According to a report on Saturday from Michael Silver, Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Rodgers is "hoping to sign with the Vikings." Minnesota is strongly considering the idea, but head coach Kevin O'Connell has not yet decided if he wants to bring in the former MVP. The appeal for Rodgers is obvious. The Vikings are coming off a 14-3 season, and O'Connell is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. The last two starting quarterbacks who played under the coach went on to sign massive contracts with other teams. Even though he is well past his prime, Rodgers likely feels confident he can succeed under O'Connell. The Vikings let Sam Darnold walk in free agency, indicating they are ready to turn their team over to J.J. McCarthy sooner rather than later. McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in last year's draft, is working his way back from a torn meniscus he suffered before his rookie season began. Rodgers feels he could hold McCarthy off long enough in Minnesota. He may even believe he can take the team further into the postseason than Darnold did last year when the Vikings had a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round. Some have said Rodgers is weighing retirement, but that seems unlikely. He may simply have one team at the top of his wish list.
St-Louis Is Fed Up with a Specific Aspect Regarding Nick Suzuki and Finally Speaks His Mind
We witnessed a significant moment during the press conference of Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis last night. St-Louis took a long pause, practically stopping everything, to talk about his captain. Like many of us, Martin seems truly fed up with the lack of respect toward Nick Suzuki coming from all corners of the National Hockey League. Whether it's the fact that he was completely ignored by Team Canada for the 4 Nations Faceoff (they didn't even call him), the fact that several NHL 'experts' continue to claim that Suzuki is not a first-line center, or anything else, it's clear that the captain of the Montreal Canadiens is not being properly recognized in the league right now. It seems that all of this led to Martin St-Louis' passionate speech about Suzuki during last night's press conference. Martin St-Louis is fed up with the lack of respect for Nick Suzuki Yes, Suzuki is a first-line center, and an excellent one too! Here's an excerpt from MSL's bold statement about Suzuki: 'I think he (Nick Suzuki) is doing everything. He's playing big minutes, tough matchups. He's been very good offensively but he's been very responsible defensively too. I think he's just been showing the way. I think guys are following. He's played a huge hand why we are where we are.' - Canadiens head coach Marty St-Louis This happened during the following press conferences: I couldn't agree more with St-Louis! It's incredible to see how Suzuki literally does EVERYTHING the right way. We are truly lucky to have him in Montreal, and too bad for those who still don't give him the respect he deserves. Suzuki currently has 69 points (20 goals) in 66 games and holds a +12 rating.
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