Ever since Kevin Durant suffered a calf strain almost two weeks ago against the Mavericks, the Suns have been having a hard time this NBA season. Now Phoenix is enduring four-straight losses without the future Hall of Famer, but his coach told the press that his team will get over this rough patch because they are a strong group.
Mike Budenhozler believes that unity, instead of pointing fingers on who is to blame, should be the key to get out of the hole they are currently in. The truth is, however, that they seem to need the NBA champion, as they’ve lost five out of his six games out.
To make things worse, co-star Bradley Beal has also been missing time due to health issues, which has given Devin Booker the lone responsibility of leading the Arizona squad as their primary scorer. Phoenix are now sitting in the Western Conference’s sixth spot with a 9-6 record.
“Stay together.”
Mike Budenholzer answering @GeraldBourguet question about the team mentality dealing with injuries after a hot 8-1 start. #Suns pic.twitter.com/qaYpTfjoN3
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 19, 2024
It was after this Tuesday evening’s 109-99 loss to the Magic, where the Suns head coach guaranteed that his squad’s resilience will get them out of this situation. “These guys are going to stay together… it’s a good group,” Budenholzer said convincingly in last night’s postgame press conference.
“They’ve got a good spirit, they’ve got a good way about them. Through good times and the hard times, you have to keep coming to work, put your individual time, put your team time in, and keep your head up,“ Mike added. “This group will do that. They’re very good, they’re very resilient.”
Tyus Jones was Phoenix’s leading scorer against Orlando last night with 18 points to his name. Once the game was over, he also expressed optimism despite playing without two of his strongest co-stars. The 28-year-old explained how sticking together as a team is crucial in this situation.
“It’s a long season, it’s a long season,” Jones assured. “There are ups and downs in the season. There are times that we’re going to be playing great ball, and there are times when we’re going to be struggling to get a win like right now.”
The Suns now have an important opportunity to make a fortress out of Footprint Center, as their next five games will be at home
Despite having lost five out of their last six games, now Phoenix will be home to their upcoming five matches. This is why the Arizona club must make a fortress out of Footprint Center and use the help of their fans to dig themselves out of the hole they are currently in.
Over the next stretch of contests, they will face the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. Two of these five matches, are direct clashes against two teams who are on top of them in the Western Conference standings.
“You just got to continue to push through, you got to try to just stay somewhere in the middle and just try to continue to improve as a group,” Jones talked about what is to come. “We know what our goals are. You can’t win a championship in November, so we got to continue to grow each and every day and just stay with it.”
Nevertheless, the Suns still don’t now when Durant will be available from his left calf strain, as he should be reevaluated again this week. In spite of their veteran’s situation, Beal should make his return sooner to help Booker help the squad bounce back from this losing streak.
