The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns have been a walking paradox - and still are over 4 months into the regular season.
Phoenix sits at 11th in the Western Conference at 29-33 after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in a stunning comeback on Tuesday - they now have an opportunity to catch both the Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks.
The conundrum?
The Suns currently face the most difficult schedule to close the season by a fair margin - can the team that has gone just 12-21 over teams at .500 or better prove to fare better when the pressure is truly on them?
A comprehensive prediction of how the final 20 games of the season will go - with a brief explanation behind the picks:
The Nuggets have gone 3-3 in their last six contests - yet do lead the season series against Phoenix with a chance to clinch tomorrow night.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are likely to have big nights, and the supporting cast still feels more in sync compared to Phoenix's. Denver wins.
The Mavericks are perhaps one of the only other teams that can lay claim to having as rough of a season as the Suns - the loss of Kyrie Irving likely put a close to any hopes Dallas had of making a potential playoff run.
The Suns should be able to take down a short-handed Mavs team on Sunday.
Phoenix has lost three extremely tightly contested games against Memphis this season, but they will get their revenge early next week.
The Rockets have been reeling as of late, but the Suns still fail to match-up very well against them. Expect Amen Thompson to have a great performance.
This is a key matchup for the Suns - as they have lost the first two games in the season series.
The Suns bounce back from a loss to Houston by taking down a weakened Kings defense.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James prove to be too much for Phoenix in this Sunday afternoon duel.
Phoenix gets revenge from the loss a few weeks ago.
The Suns defeat Chicago to sweep the season series and pad their win total.
Cleveland proves to be too much for the Suns due to overall roster balance and their stingy defense.
The Suns bounce back and steal a game against a Bucks team that has played quality basketball as of late.
The first major upset the Suns pull during this final stretch will be against the defending NBA champions.
Anthony Edwards will continue his stretch of dominance over the Suns.
Phoenix finally secures a victory over Houston.
The Suns are unable to secure a sweep over their 2021 Finals opponent - as Giannis Antetokounmpo has a huge game.
Boston bounces back from the shock loss to the Suns by securing a convincing victory on their home floor.
The Suns go into Madison Square Garden and shock a Knicks team that has struggled to stay healthy as of late.
Phoenix secures another massive victory over a surging Warriors squad.
The Thunder's balance and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP season prove to be too much for the Suns.
The Spurs and Suns will likely be fighting for a play-in spot at this point - Phoenix will not letdown the fan base this time.
The Suns close out the season with a win.
This should be enough to sneak the Suns in the play-in picture - something that was seen as extremely unlikely just a week ago.
Ultimately, the Suns need to actually take care of business to have a chance to make a run come April.
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