The Phoenix Suns reached an 11-game winning streak after beating the Dallas Mavericks without Luka Doncic 112-104 on Friday night.
The defending Western Conference champions are currently the hottest team in the league. It was the Suns' longest winning streak since the 2006-07 nash and Stoudemire era, when the team won 15 straight, 17 straight and culminated in a 61-21 record.
It's definitely an impressive feat for this Suns team. Given all the noise they've heard over the summer about their fluke success in the Finals, their brilliant start to the 2021-22 season should quell some of the debate. It's clear that there's a lot to note in Phoenix's hot performance. Here are three of the biggest reasons the Suns have made a historic winning streak at the start of the season.
Three reasons for the Suns' historic winning streak
1. The schedule is relatively easy
The Suns' schedule is relatively easy in the league. According to ESPN, the Suns are currently ranked fourth on the NBA schedule. This is arguably one of the biggest reasons why Phoenix has flourished so far this year. Seven of their 11 wins were against teams with a winning percentage of less than 500 or less. That doesn't mean smearing or weakening Phoenix's winning streak.
2. Find a way to win in the fourth quarter
Despite having the longest winning streak in the league, that doesn't mean the Suns are also the most dominant team. While they beat other teams in this round, they also need to work hard to salvage the situation in a few wins.
Early in the game, the Suns found themselves losing to the inferior Pelicans throughout the game. They trailed by 11 points in the first half and six points behind in the fourth quarter. However, the Suns eventually beat the Pelicans in the fourth quarter with a score of 36-18.
Against the Atlanta Hawks, they won the 12-point gap 35-19 in the fourth quarter. It was a close match until the Hawks ended with a fierce rally in the third quarter. The Suns hit an 8-2 climax in the last 1 minute and 29 seconds to complete the trade.
The Suns also spotted their fierce rivalry with the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. Chris Paul's 19 points in the fourth quarter definitely helped the Suns keep the game. They also needed some luck as the Timberwolves missed several golden chances to win games and ended the Suns' nine-game winning streak in the final seconds.
In two games against the Dallas Mavericks, who are missing Luka Doncic, they trailed by five points when they entered the fourth quarter. They scored 37-25 in the fourth quarter on Wednesday and 33-20 in the final quarter to help the Mavericks complete their back-to-back victory. The Suns fired wide in the fourth quarter of both games, beating the Mavericks with 70% and 65% shooting percentages, respectively.
According to the NBA website's tracking of key moment data, the Suns hit 63.6% of the shots and 72.7% of the true hits in the 6 key moments of the game during this time. Having cold-blooded shooters like Devon Booker and Chris Paul definitely helps them to dominate the fourth quarter of the ball game.
3. Defense
The Suns are also pinning their hopes on their defense to win the basketball game. According to NBA.com data, although the Suns' defensive main Ayton missed six games due to a right leg contusion, the Suns still ranked second in the league in defensive scoring in those 11 games. In this round, they conceded just 101.3 points per game, and in 5 of their 11 wins, they kept their opponents' points below 100 points. The Suns also put their opponents shooting just 41.6 percent from the field, with 17 turnovers per game, all third in this round.
Ayton is clearly an important part of the Suns' defense. But in his absence, Javier McGee's presence as a basket protector has become a solid presence in their defense. He has proven that he is a key player who can replace Ayton in his absence.
Bridges is also defensively high, with Chris Paul being the first player this season to play for a 3-D winger in the best defensive lineup.
The question was asked to Devin Booker about Mikael Bridges, but Chris Paul said: "I don't care if Mikall plays another game this season, he'd better be in the Best Defensive Team this year. “
As the saying goes, defense wins the championship. If solar continues to build good defensive habits early in the season, they certainly have a chance to prove that last year's finals weren't a fluke.