Suns Play-In Tracker: Which 3 crucial games to watch on Friday as Phoenix chases play-in

PHOENIX — With just six games remaining in the regular season, the Phoenix Suns sit at the 11th seed with a 35-41 record and one game behind the Sacramento Kings for the final play-in spot and 1½ games behind the Dallas Mavericks, who sit at the No. 9 seed.

As Friday night’s NBA slate approaches, all three teams play and the results have serious implications for the final two spots in the west’s playoffs. Here’s who plays who and what to watch in terms of results:

Suns need win in rematch against Celtics

The most crucial of the three games on Friday’s slate for Phoenix is, of course, its own — a rematch against the defending champion Boston Celtics. The two teams matched up recently, a 132-102 blowout in favor of Boston on Mar. 26 in Phoenix, and the loss started the Suns’ current four-game losing streak. The Celtics were without Tatum and Phoenix is without Durant this time. Jaylen Brown is questionable on Friday.

Phoenix needs every win it can get moving forward. In fact, winning out gives them their best chance to claim a spot in the play-in as Durant progresses back from a left ankle sprain. A loss could potentially be catastrophic, especially if the result of this next game works out against them.

Kings have softball against Hornets

The closest team to Phoenix in the standings is the Sacramento Kings, who sit one game ahead of them in the West standings and plays against the lowly Charlotte Hornets on Friday. This game is important to the Suns, a Kings loss coupled with a Suns win moves them up to the 10th seed.

The opposite, and most likely result, could get bad. If Phoenix were to lose to the Celtics and Kings beat the Hornets like they are projected to, then Phoenix will be two games from Sacramento’s coveted 10-seed with five game remaining.

Surging Mavericks face tough Clippers team

The last team in this play-in equation is the Dallas Mavericks, who sit 1½ games ahead of Phoenix at the ninth seed and play the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. With Anthony Davis returning to the lineup and Dallas winning three of its last four games, the Mavs may be surging in the right direction to stake their claim on the No. 9 seed, leaving the Kings and Suns to a two-team battle for the final spot.

A loss and a Sacramento win leaves them 0.5 games ahead of the Kings. A win stretches the distance from other two.

Simply put, Phoenix needs to win out while Sacramento and Dallas lose games. It seems unlikely, though, as the Suns have had the league’s hardest remaining schedule for the last month and it will only get harder with matchups against New York, Oklahoma City and Golden State looming.