The Suns are still finding themselves. There’s no doubt about it. Dealing with injuries, lineup changes, and the tip of potential in Deandre Ayton; The Phoenix Suns are trying to put it all together.

The Former

The Suns put up some head-scratching performances that culminated in a three-game losing streak to the Nuggets (twice) and Chris Paul’s former team the Oklahoma City Thunder. All of these performances showed sways in the scoreboard where the Suns we in command of those three games but found themselves missing opportunities and losing leads in games.

Additionally the Suns lost star Devin Booker after their first matchup against the Nuggets. We can likely attribute some of their struggles to losing such a potent offensive player in their lineup. Deandre Ayton was a bright spot against the Nuggets, with one of those contests netting him 27 points.

The Latter

The then-reeling Suns took the losing streak to heart, taking down Golden State by 21 points and grinding out two wins against the potential new rivalry in the Dallas Mavericks. Chris Paul is playing some of his best basketball of late in Purple & Orange, scoring 34 points in a 1-point victory. Devin Booker’s presence was felt, scoring 24 points in his return. Oh, and not to mention this:

#DevinBooker. In his first game back.

FOR. THE. WIN. ‼️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/qVNMPcnJbE

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 2, 2021

These Mavericks vs Suns games are highly entertaining and I think we are seeing a budding rivalry here. Both teams have a young core playing similar positions. They matchup against each other well and both teams are gunning for their spotlight in the postseason. If these two teams meet for a seven-game series, it may become one of those classic, hard-fought matchups.

Lookahead

Pelicans, Pistons, Celtics. With the exception of the Celtics, the Suns should be able to ride this streak a little longer with continuing growth as a unit. Even though, the Pistons game may be postponed due to contact tracing. The Celtics game is going to be a good barometer of where the Suns are in their development. Marcus Smart may miss the contest, but the Suns will still have to answer for Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown.

Overall, the Suns are trending up. This is all fans can ask for in this crazy world of sports.

10-time #NBAAllStar #ChrisPaul 💯

Let’s make it 11!

(1 Retweet = 2 VOTES!) pic.twitter.com/sPO4XdSNdS

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 30, 2021