3. With games at Golden State and Memphis looming, how important are these next two home games against Washington and Chicago?
Bourguet: Very important. Hornacek wanted to go 6-2 over the home stand, and after dropping the last two games, Phoenix needs to close out 2-0 to get to that mark. Almost every game the Suns play from here on out is against a playoff caliber team, so it’s time to capitalize on home-court advantage whenever possible.
Chasen: I’m not going to say the Suns have to win both of these games, but they really need to win at least two (probably three) of the next four games, and these would be the “easiest” of the four. OKC keeps gifting Phoenix losses, and at some point the Suns need to extend their lead. That being said, I have a weird feeling that Phoenix will beat either Golden State or Memphis, so I’m hesitant to say any games are “must-win” at this point, but the team really can’t afford to go 1-3 over the next 4. They have to do better than that.
Hann: Up to this point, the Suns now face their biggest two-game stretch of the season. Nobody beats Golden State at Oracle Arena and Phoenix is winless against Memphis in the Hornacek era. After a 4-0 start to the homestand, beating the Wizard and Bulls would leave them feeling good heading off to Golden State. Lose even one of those games, and they finish the homestand at just 5-3, lowering their recent momentum and confidence considerably.
Saar: They should take both of these games. Every game is important out West. Memphis could already be considered a loss, but Golden State is a decent matchup for Phoenix. In those four games they should be 3-1 or 2-2.
Schall: They’re important in terms of building up some confidence against elite teams. The last time the Suns beat a Top-4 seed, not missing one of their two best players, was December 21st against those same Wizards. This might be a little overdramatic, but this four game stretch might just decide whether or not Phoenix should think like a contender the rest of the season. If the Suns can’t at least split the next four games, maybe they should see what they have in some of their younger guys and start bringing them into the rotation. It’s not going to happen and maybe it shouldn’t, but in this Western Conference if you can’t beat the best you might as well build for the future.
Next: Impressive Portland Win