Suns Analysis: Learning To Win After Losing Leads

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

The Phoenix Suns built a double-digit lead early in the game, but they soon let up, turning what should’ve been a blowout victory into a dogfight that came down to the last few possessions.

If you’ve been following the Suns all season long, you’d know that’s been a common theme for this young team. If you’ve only been following the Suns for a week, that’d still be the case after watching Phoenix squander a 17-point lead against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday and a 25-point advantage against the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers last night.

The difference between the last few games and the ones that came at the start of the season? The Suns are learning how to win those dogfights.

Heading into their eight-game home stand, the Suns were coming off disheartening losses in back-to-back games.

One saw a Phoenix meltdown late in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs, with P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris earning back-to-back technicals in a three-point game with under two minutes to play. The other came in a double-overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in which the Suns were one late turnover away from winning the game in OT.

After practice the day of the Cleveland Cavaliers game, Eric Bledsoe said his team was going to start winning close games. “They’re going to start falling in our favor,” he said.

Since then, he’s been 100 percent correct.

Next: The Last Four Games