Phoenix will look to carry on the team’s recent success after the NBA All-Star Weekend, as the Suns open the final 22 games of the season Friday at home against Oklahoma City.
The Suns, currently fifth in the Western Conference at 32-28, have gone 355-309 (.535) after the All-Star break since the 1999-2000 season.
They’ve had even more success of late, going 55-24 (.696) since the 2019-20 campaign, including last year’s 16-8 mark — which drew attention among Arizona sports betting patrons.
Last year’s Phoenix squad used that late season stretch to finish atop the conference standings, going from 46-10 to 64-18 over the course of two months.
Phoenix has seen their odds climb since acquiring Kevin Durant at the NBA trade deadline, with BetMGM Sportsbook Arizona giving the Suns the second best championship odds (+425) of any team, behind the Celtics at +300.
BetArizona.com, home to the best Arizona sportsbook promo codes, wanted to compare how the Suns’ teams of the past could portend to this year’s stretch run.
Suns Have Finished Strong Recently
Since that 1999-2000 campaign, the Suns have finished above .500 13 times after the All-Star break, posting 20 or more wins on six occasions.
Phoenix gained the most ground after the break in 2021, when they went from 24-10 to 51-21, thanks to a 27-10 record down the stretch.
The 2019-20 season saw the Suns go 12-6, including the team’s run in the NBA “bubble” to reach the play-in tournament.
Between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the Suns failed to break .500, going 36-91 (.283) to bolster the team’s chances in the NBA lottery.
The Suns other losing records post-ASG since the turn of the millennium were in 2001-02 (12-22), 2002-03 (15-17), 2003-04 (11-16), 2010-11 (13-15) and 2012-13 (8-21).
Prior to their most recent run of second-half success, the Suns biggest climb after the break came during the 2013-14 season when they went from 30-21 to 48-34 under coach Jeff Hornacek.
BetArizona.com is home to great information for those interested in Arizona NBA betting.
Where This Year’s Suns Team Could Go From Here
Getting Durant into uniform won’t be the last battle the Suns face in 2023, as the Monty Williams-coached team is challenged with a gauntlet down the stretch.
The Suns have the sixth-hardest strength of schedule remaining with an average win percentage of .517, ranking third in the Western Conference behind the Clippers (.523) and Kings (.520).
Luckily for the Suns, those are the two teams ahead of them in the Pacific Division standings, with Sacramento sitting 1.5 games and L.A. one game ahead at the moment.
If Phoenix matches the team’s average win percentage (.535) in its final 20 games, it will wrap up the year with a record of 43-39.
For now, the Suns will look to get Durant incorporated into their offensive system and get back on the right track when they host the Thunder on Friday night — the Thunder are at Utah on Thursday, and Arizona betting apps have them as a 2.5-point underdog against the Jazz.
From there, anything is possible, as the Suns look to bring home the first Larry O’Brien trophy in their 55-year history.
