3 goals for the Phoenix Suns' Western Conference road trip

The Phoenix Suns are about to embark on a three-game road trip against Western Conference opposition - and while it may not be a make-or-break portion of their season just yet - it is hugely important they come back from the trip in a good place.

At 19-17 and the ninth spot in the Western Conference, the need to get wins on the board becomes greater with each passing week. Dropping a game to the Memphis Grizzlies to close out the longest remaining homestand the franchise has for the rest of the season was not ideal, especially with Kevin Durant returning from a small hamstring issue that caused him to miss a few games.

Which is why their goals for the games against the Los Angeles Lakers, L.A. Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will bring with it increased expectations.

The Suns now have all of their "Big 3" healthy and back on the court, although Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have only played five games total together so far this season. As a result of injury - mostly to Beal in the early goings of the season - we have yet to see an extended period of time where their stars have carried the team.

We've certainly seen Durant and Booker take turns carrying the load and making fringe MVP cases already this season, with the fact Booker didn't appear on the first fan ballots for the All-Star game ridiculous. He is putting up 26.4 points per game, while becoming the Suns' point guard full-time as well. Here are the goals the franchise has to aim for then, to make this a fruitful trip away.

3. Win all three games

This sounds obvious, but it is not going to be easy. Outside of a seven-game win streak, and more recently a four-game win streak across the New Year, the Suns incredibly have failed to win three games consecutively all season. In fact, you have to go back to early November to find the last time - outside of those aforementioned win streaks - that the team even won twice in a row.

So winning all three here is going to be a tall order, but that has to be the main goal as this team heads back out on the road. Before this season even started, the talk was about the Suns having one of the highest seeds in the Western Conference, with the word "play-in tournament" not mentioned by anybody.

Yet the sixth placed Dallas Mavericks - the closest spot the Suns can get to that doesn't require going through the play-in - are currently sitting at 22-15. They've won three in a row themselves, and behind Luka Doncic are a far more settled group. Not as talented when the Suns are fully healthy, but the Mavericks have shown up at times this season when the Suns have not.

We are about to cross the halfway point in the season - and before we know it - the Suns are going to start running out of games to make up the difference. This is only to get the sixth seed, which wouldn't even give the organization home court advantage at any point in the postseason. Come back with a losing record, and the Suns are going to find themselves even further adrift.

2. Hold opponents to 110 points per game

The Suns were never billed as a group that was going to be elite defensively this season, and so far that has been the case. Their 114.9 rating slightly below league average at 16th, although they have had periods where it has trended in the right direction. This is thanks to players such as Chimezie Metu or Udoka Azubuike coming in for a game or two and having a positive impact.

Offensively there is still belief that this roster is going to figure it out, but they need to tighten up some on the other end if they want to squeeze out some wins on the road. In the last 15 games though, the Suns' defensive rating has slipped to 116.5, which may be cause for concern as it has coincided somewhat with the return of Beal to the lineup.

But with the Suns having a better offensive rating (116.4) than the Lakers (111.7) and Trail Blazers (108.5), the math here is simple. If they can limit these opponents to 110 points or less per game - as well as scoring the basketball like they have shown they can - then good things are likely to happen. Which leaves the Clippers, which will be a different proposition.

They sit eighth in offensive rating (117.8), and are a sizzling fourth (121.2) in their last 10 games, as they look to have figured out how to implement James Harden into their plans. Keeping them to 110 points then looks a tall order - but if the Suns want to lay down a marker and begin to work towards a championship - then a statement win over the Clippers is what is required.

1. Have Bradley Beal average 20 points per game

The whole point of adding Beal in the offseason was that the Suns would have the best third option in the entire league. Certainly on the offensive end, although the 16.5 points per game he has averaged is far below the 22 he has produced throughout his career so far.

Beal has scored over 30 points per game twice in his career - and while those days are now gone - he needs to begin to take more of a scoring load on this trip. The 31.7 percent he is averaging from deep so far this season is the second lowest mark of his career, and there is reason to believe that this number is going to improve.

The space he is being afforded next to Durant and Booker is something he has failed to take advantage of so far - but we have seen from his willingness to take these open shots even when they aren't falling - that his luck will eventually change. Bumping this number up even to the 37.1 percent he has managed throughout his career would go a long way to adding to his points tally.

Which is why the 20 points target should be they key to getting over the line in each of these games. The Lakers and Trail Blazers don't have a third option that can come close to Beal's offensive output - and while the Clippers certainly do - Beal is able to heat up on a level few players in the league today can match. Carrying the scoring load more will do his confidence the world of good as well.