Suns rising on strength of explosive offense

Photo Credit: TheSportsPost.com

In mid-December, the Phoenix Suns were scuffling, losers of four straight games. The Suns’ record stood at a mediocre 12-14, and it was looking like the surprise team of last season wasn’t going to be able to repeat their strong play this year.

But since that fourth straight loss, a 96-94 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix has won nine of its last 11 games to charge back into the Western Conference playoff picture. The latest victory was against that same Bucks team, a 102-96 road triumph on Monday night. Markieff Morris led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Morris hit the dagger three on a beautiful play out of a timeout.

The Suns have made their run on the back of an explosive offense. By scoring 102 points against Milwaukee (with 87 of those points coming in the last three quarters), Phoenix has scored over 100 points in 10 of its last 11 games. During that span, the Suns have scored 113.8 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. That’s the best mark in the league.

Phoenix has the luxury of trotting out a multitude of explosive guards, which allows them to push the pace and get a ton of points in transition. The Suns play at the fourth-fastest pace in the league, per NBA.com, and they score the second-most fast break points per game. Phoenix also makes a killing from behind the three-point line, making 10.1 three-pointers per game and knocking down those threes at a 37.3 percent clip. Both numbers rank in the top 10 in the NBA.

Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe lead the high-octane attack, with Dragic leading the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game and Bledsoe not far behind with 16.5 points per game. Behind those two on the depth chart are Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green, and they form a reserve backcourt duo as good as any in the league. Thomas is fourth on the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game, and his 19.95 PER is the best on the roster. Green is putting up 13.8 points per game and is making the most three-pointers per game for Phoenix.

The Suns are a bit weak down low, but power forward Markieff Morris is having the best season of his young career. Morris is averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.7 percent from the field. Second-year big man Alex Len is also developing, and the 21-year-old is showing signs of being a capable center.

Thanks to their hot streak, the Suns are now 21-16 and comfortably hold the eighth seed in the West. Phoenix is 2½ games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and a full three games ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are the biggest threat right now to steal that final playoff spot with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back healthy, but the Suns have a nice cushion for now.

Phoenix is even threatening to take over the seventh seed from the San Antonio Spurs, who haven’t been at their best this season thanks to a bunch of key injuries. The Suns are just a half-game behind the Spurs in the standings, and the two teams will play each other on Friday.

In addition to winning games, Phoenix is having success against the spread. The Suns are 22-15 against the spread this season and an impressive 13-8 against the spread on the road, per VegasInsider.com. Phoenix is also a great bet to go over on over/unders thanks to its explosive offense and leaky defense.