It’s December 26th, 2023. The Phoenix Suns have just blown another fourth-quarter lead. This time, it’s to Luka Donu010diu0107 and the Dallas Mavericks, the Valley’s hottest rival of late. The Suns are 14-15, Bradley Beal remains sidelined, and the team is in disarray almost 30 games into the season, sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference.
Fast forward to today, February 16th — almost two months later — Phoenix is now 33-22, fifth in the Western Conference. Since December 26th, the Suns have won 19 of their last 26 games, the fourth-best record in the association.