PHOENIX — The full 2024-25 NBA schedule was released nearly two days ago — and the Phoenix Suns now know the path they must take to redeem themselves after a mediocre 2023-24 season.
After taking the time to dissect the calendar, here are both the most intense and most important breaks of the season.
There are certainly many factors that go into determining a streak, such as travel length, opponent difficulty, and even more unpredictable feats like injury management.
It’s hard to predict how this stretch will play out, as the teams the Suns face could be underachievers or league leaders with little to play for. But on the surface, this is the most brutal stretch of the schedule Phoenix faces.
The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are likely to lead the Eastern Conference race this season, with Phoenix playing each team twice during that span.
In fact, the only two non-play-in teams from last season that Phoenix is scheduled to face during this three-week span are the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs — two teams that Phoenix has struggled to defeat in their 2023-24 meetings.
Both the Spurs and Rockets are also expected to take a step forward this season, so they wouldn’t be guaranteed a win even without the shaky history of recent matchups.
Throw the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder into the mix and it’s an absolutely tough series.
This is the closest part of the schedule to a “weak spot.” They have to play the Portland Trail Blazers twice, as well as the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls once each.
They’ll also only face three 2023-24 playoff teams in those three weeks — and the well-timed All-Star break will give a rather aging team more time to recover.
The period from January 7 to 25 was also considered, as they have to face the Washington Wizards, the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets twice. The second game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Jazz and the Detroit Pistons is also on the schedule.
It doesn’t quite exceed the one that was finally decided due to a long car journey and no break during that time.
