The Phoenix Suns are locked into the No. 7 seed as of writing this. However, they will be participating in the play-in tournament with a chance to either keep their position or become the No. 8 seed or be eliminated.
Here is the nightmare seeding for the team, in addition to matchup scenarios for the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Suns' nightmare seeding is falling to No. 8
They currently sit at the seventh seed in the Western Conference and would have to play the Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix has been in a bit of a funk lately. Granted, two of its starters (Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams) returned this week, and the roster looks almost fully healthy.
That being said, chemistry could be a little bit of a concern. It's a small sample size for Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Brooks all on the floor together.
One thing that teams have in this stretch of the season is connectivity with their guys on the court. Also, an established pecking order has yet to be found in the Valley of the Sun (disregarding the obvious nature that Booker is the No. 1 option).
Although they play a Los Angeles Clippers team that went through a midseason change themselves, they have a clear hierarchy. Any time that Kawhi Leonard is in a playoff-type atmosphere, it automatically makes the game all the more difficult.
If they lose, they'll face the winner of the 9 vs 10 seed (either Portland or Golden State). No matter who they play, if they win, they'll be locked into the No. 8 seed and have to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
There have only been six times in NBA history where the latter seed has upset the top team in the respective conference. The Suns have a dog mentality, but facing the defending champions could mean they'll bite off more than they can chew.
Suns' matchup nightmare is the Thunder for the 2026 NBA Playoffs
As we left off, facing Oklahoma City would be terrible. In the three regular-season matchups they've had, the Thunder have a 2-1 season series.
However, Phoenix gave them a lot to handle in that NBA Cup group stage game. Two months later, Booker hit the game-winner for the Suns in a thrilling finish.
These games have been close, but then they haven't. In the NBA Cup quarterfinal game, they lost by 49 points. While that was without Booker, that's a beatdown and then some.
After that tightly contested January game, the Thunder won by 24 and dominated in all stages of the game. But how did they dominate?
The majority of it has to do with their size. Phoenix has struggled on the interior all season, even with the center trio of Mark Williams, Oso Ighodaro, and Khaman Maluach.
They're third-to-last of all playoff-eligible teams in second-chance points allowed (15.4). No team is going to be perfect at boxing out their man, but easy looks like that can be the difference maker in a playoff game.
Not to mention, the Suns will face the best defense in the league in terms of defensive rating, and one of the most dynamic offenses.
It could be a good test for them, as head coach Jordan Ott has said about marquee matchups before. But this time might be one they should avoid if they can.
The separation between Oklahoma City and the San Antonio Spurs isn't that wide, but taking on a team that has been in this position before will expose the Suns' lack of sustaining experience.
