The Phoenix Suns have made it clear their goal is to go undefeated in the NBA restart “seeding” games.

They’re two wins away from achieving that after beating short-handed Oklahoma City, 128-101, Monday at The Field House as the Thunder were without five key players.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right calf contusion).
• Danilo Gallinari (left ankle injury maintenance).
• Dennis Schroder (personal reasons).
• Steven Adams (left lower leg contusion).
• Nerlens Noel (right ankle sprain).

Even if the Suns (32-39) take their final two Tuesday against Philadelphia and Thursday against Dallas to finish 8-0, they’ll still need Memphis and Portland to lose once in their last two games to reach the play-in tournament.

San Antonio could win both of its game and will still finish one percentage point behind Phoenix for the ninth spot.

With all 22 invited teams not playing the same number of games overall, the standings are based on winning percentages.

This is how it’d look if that scenario played out.

• Grizzlies: 34-39 (.466)
• Suns: 34-39 (.466)
• Spurs 33-38 (.465)
• Blazers: 34-40 (.459)

The Grizzlies would be the eighth-place team and the Suns would be ninth-place team because Memphis won the head-to-head tiebreaker, 3-1.

So Phoenix would have to beat Memphis twice to earn the eighth seed and make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Game 1 of the play-in tournament is Saturday. Game 2, if necessary, would be Sunday with the NBA playoffs beginning on Monday.

The Grizzlies, Blazers and Spurs resume their eight-game seeding schedule Tuesday. Of the four teams vying for the final spot, Phoenix is the only one that has three games in last four days of the schedule:

• Memphis: (8th place): Boston 8/11, Milwaukee 8/13.
• Portland (9th place, half-game back of Memphis): Dallas 8/11, Brooklyn 8/13.
• Phoenix (10th place, 1 game back): Philadelphia 8/11, Dallas 8/13.
• San Antonio (11th place, 1 game back): Houston 8/11, Utah 8/13.

The Suns can’t afford for Memphis and Portland to win their final two games even if they win out.

If Memphis, Portland and San Antonio lose their final two, Phoenix would be the eighth-place team and would face the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.

In that scenario, the Suns would only have to beat Memphis once to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

• Suns 34-39 (.466)
• Grizzlies 33-40 (.452)
• Blazers 33-41 (.446)
• Spurs 31-40 (.437)

If Memphis, which is 1-5 in the bubble, drops its last two and Portland and San Antonio split their final two games, Phoenix would play ninth-place Portland in the play-in tournament.

This is with Phoenix winning its last two games. 

• Suns 34-39 (.466)
• Blazers: 34-40 (.459)
• Grizzlies 33-40 (.452)
• Spurs: 32-39 (.451)

The odds were against anyone going unbeaten in the bubble, let alone a team that was one of the last two invited, as the Suns were based on record.

So, let’s say Phoenix loses a game.

The Suns would need far more help than they do now.

If the Suns finish 1-1, Memphis could lose its last two and have the same record, but the Grizzlies have the head-to-head tiebreaker edge.

That leaves Portland and San Antonio.

If Phoenix finishes 1-1, the Blazers would have to lose their final two and the Spurs would need to lose one of their last two.

• Grizzlies 33-40 (.452)
• Suns 33-40 (.452)
• Spurs: 32-39 (.451)
• Blazers 33-41 (.446)

If Portland won one of its last two, it’d finish 34-40 and have a higher winning percentage than Phoenix at .459.

Two losses by the Suns and their season is over regardless of what Memphis, Portland and San Antonio does. 

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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