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The Phoenix Suns clinched home-court advantage throughout the 2022 playoffs with a 140-130 win over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Thursday night.
A 49-point performance from Devin Booker and a 22-point night from Mikal Bridges helped seal the deal and give the Suns their 60th win of the season.
After earning their sixth straight win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Suns would’ve clinched the No. 1 seed with a Grizzlies loss, but Memphis stayed alive in the race by beating the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
This is the second straight season the Suns are in the playoffs, but it is the first time since the 2004-05 campaign that they have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference. To put that into perspective, the last time they did so, Steve Nash was named MVP and Mike D’Antoni was named Coach of the Year.
Nash is now head coach of the Nets, and D’Antoni is now a coaching adviser for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Phoenix has sat atop the Western Conference standings for much of the 2021-22 campaign thanks to the play of Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. However, before Thursday’s game against Denver, Paul had been sidelined since Feb. 24 with a fractured thumb.
The Suns proved they could win without Paul, going 11-4 in his absence. However, the veteran point guard has been the team’s leader since arriving before the 2020-21 campaign, and he’ll play an important role in what is expected to be a deep playoff run for Phoenix.
The Western Conference playoffs are expected to be competitive as the Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz are among the teams that could make a run to the Finals. However, the Suns have the tools to fight off just about any team they face, and based on the fact that they reached the NBA Finals last year, they’re primed to do so again.
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