His era Phoenix Sans it’s not easy. Chemistry problems and constant injuries to key players have put them in a difficult position, which is why they are far from the relevant positions in the table.
A lot has changed since April 2022 arrived at Playoffs as one of the best teams in recent years and the big contender for everything. The project is now in question, and not for less. Not only do they fail to win on a regular basis, but those areas where they were once unbeatable are now one of the worst teams in the entire NBA.
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One of these areas is the clutchthat is, closing games. Having two figures of the caliber and talent of Devin Booker and Chris Paul is sure to ensure victory in a tight scoring period. However, in this 2022-2023 season the Suns have fallen apart in that sense, being one of the worst in the league when it comes to solving Finals. If last year they were by far the best team in the NBA, now it’s the opposite.
A simple look at the numbers reflects this:
| Time | offensive percentage | defense ratio | Net Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022 | 131.6 | 98.2 | +33.4 |
| 2022-2023 | 107.2 | 114.3 | -7-1 |
This show is a reflection of the problems going on in Phoenix. Aggressive anomaly and back misses are magnified when the margin for error is smaller as it is in closes. Thus it is understood that a group like this accumulates a balance 8 wins for 14 losses in her situations clutch. That is, just a 36.3%. Last year? 78.6%.
The last close loss was especially painful. a few ago Dallas Mavericks Without Luka Doncic, the Suns defense couldn’t stop Spencer Dinwiddie, who went all out to win in the closing moments. With everything in their favor as the home team, the Texans simply had to keep their potential mistakes to a minimum and hope their opponents missed the opportunity.
🙌 Dinwiddie to the rescue!
Without Doncic available, it was his skier who stepped up
▪️ 36 points
▪️ 6 rebounds
▪️ 9 assists✅ Victorypic.twitter.com/4jXmssOV3H
— Sportingnewses Spain 🇪🇸 (@sportingnewses) January 27, 2023
Despite the fact that the Mavs only hit one field goal in the last one 5 minutes (1 out of 9 attempts), Phoenix failed to get the win, down 99 to 95. The reason? They weren’t aggressive at all, not once did they go to the free throw line at the end.
With a 25-25 record and a 50% win rate, the Suns are in danger of blowing their chance at a ring in an increasingly tight West. With just over 31 games to play they have it 11th toughest schedule in the league and 4th in its Conference. With the end of the transfer window just around the corner, Phoenix are heading towards a critical point.
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