Phoenix Suns Backed by Unbreakable NBA Play-In Trend

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns' regular season is over, and now postseason basketball is a reality.

The Suns, top seed in the West as No. 7, are set to host the Portland Trail Blazers (No. 8) in the first round of play-in tournament festivities on Tuesday.

If the Suns win, they'll be locked as the seventh seed and will play the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of playoff basketball. If they lose, Phoenix will face the winner of the (9) Los Angeles Clippers vs (10) Golden State Warriors matchup later in the week.

At this point in time, no matchup is ever considered easy, as all three of the other play-in teams are liable to give the Suns fits in a court, especially in a one-game setting.

Why Suns Have History On Their Side

However, history is on Phoenix's side.

No seventh seed has ever failed to make the playoffs since the play-in tournament was established five years ago. No. 7 teams are 8-2 in their opening game and 2-0 in the second elimination game.

That's certainly good news to hear if you're a Suns fan, as Phoenix would have to lose back-to-back games in order to completely miss out on the postseason.

And while fans shouldn't look too far ahead, either playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio wouldn't be a walk in the park for either side.

"Right now, we're locked in. We've been locked in since we've kind of sorted out we're in this play-in. We've talked about after the All-Star break playing meaningful games. Now that's transitioned to a big game Tuesday night," Suns coach Jordan Ott said after the regular season concluded (h/t Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic).

"That's exciting. To play 82 games and then have another chance to play a game. That part is exciting, To do it with this group will be special."

The Suns have already managed to shatter expectations after nobody thought the team would see any postseason success entering 2025-26, though the organization quickly flipped the script.

While this season should be considered a success regardless of how it finishes, Phoenix clearly still believes they have work to do.

"We've got a great team. We've got a great opportunity to go get it done on Tuesday. We've just got to stay together," Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea said (h/t Rankin). "Play a full 48 minutes no matter who is out there and just be ready for whatever. Whatever it takes to win on Tuesday is our goal."