When teams are decimated by injuries and losing streaks, the only things that shine through dark times are silver linings and golden opportunities. For the Phoenix Suns, Duane Washington Jr. represents both. The Suns are limping through a brutal stretch that’s testing their mental resolve. They’ve lost six straight games and 15 of their last 20. Devin Booker has missed more than two weeks of action with a left groin strain and won’t be re-evaluated for another two. Cam Payne’s right foot sprain won’t be re-evaluated for two weeks. Cam Johnson’s been out for more than two months, and now Chris Paul — who missed a month earlier in the season — will miss his second straight game on Tuesday…

The Phoenix Suns have reached the potential breaking point of their season. Coming off a 2021 NBA Finals run and a 64-win campaign that ended far sooner than anyone expected, the next few weeks could determine whether this group’s immediate title window remains propped open or is abruptly slammed shut. Lately, it’s appearing more like the latter. After starting with a 15-6 record that was good for first place in the Western Conference and third-best in the NBA overall, the Suns have gone 5-14, plummeting back down to .500 territory. Suffice it to say these are uncharted waters for most of the guys on the roster. “We’re not used to losing so much, so it’s different for us,” Torrey Craig…

Expectations are the damndest thing. In relation to draft position, Mikal Bridges was never expected to live up to the production of Deandre Ayton, his fellow 2018 NBA draftee who was selected nine spots earlier as the No. 1 overall pick. But in relation to skill-set, it was only a few months ago that Bridges’ ability to handle the rock hinted at a higher offensive ceiling in a pace-and-space league compared to Ayton, an elite play finisher who still had to rely on others to create most of his opportunities. Now, after an extended stretch of disappointment where the Phoenix Suns badly needed someone to step up as a legitimate No. 1 option in place of an injured Devin Booker…

The holiday season hasn’t been kind to the Phoenix Suns. Since the start of December, the once-upon-a-time 1-seed out West has gone 5-12, sinking from a top spot in the conference standings all the way to eighth. Injuries remain the biggest catalyst behind the Suns’ ongoing skid, but this shorthanded stretch has also magnified inherent roster flaws that were present from the start of the season: Devin Booker is carrying this team, neither Deandre Ayton nor Mikal Bridges is a capable second option, Chris Paul is a shell of himself, Phoenix lacks reliable creators on offense, and barring a trade, their immediate title window may have already closed. With Booker’s left groin strain set to be re-evaluated in just over…

December hasn’t been kind to the Phoenix Suns, but amidst their 5-9 record and mounting injury woes, Josh Okogie sure has been. In fact, he’s been nothing short of an X-factor handily exceeding his contract value during one of the team’s most trying stretches of the season. Landing in Phoenix on a veteran minimum deal, Okogie’s first brush with free...

Christmas Day provided Arizona sports fans with not one, but two overtime losses, as the Phoenix Suns followed in the Cardinals’ footsteps during the NBA’s late-night game. In Sunday’s 128-125 road loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Suns fell to 19-15 on the season. The loss was twofold, as Devin Booker’s return from a groin injury only lasted about four minutes before he had to be pulled for the rest of the night. Nikola Jokic slapped up a 41-point, 15-rebound, 15-assist stat line against Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul missed half his free throws, and once again, the Suns wasted a career night from Landry Shamet. It’s not all bad news, but in a high-profile game where so much happened, here…

There were a number of basketball-related takeaways that could be found in the Phoenix Suns’ 113-110 loss to the Washington Wizards Tuesday night. The main focus could’ve been Phoenix’s continued slippage on the defensive end, since the Suns gave up 25 points in the final 5:35 of game time and have ranked 24th in defensive rating in the month of December. There were conversations to be had about Landry Shamet’s career-high 31 points, Chris Paul’s injury scare, or how Deandre Ayton has looked in the last two games as more of an offensive hub while Devin Booker remains sidelined. But instead, all anyone wanted to talk about was yet another heated exchange between Ayton and coach Monty Williams in the…

As the third all-time assist leader in NBA history, even Chris Paul needs to be told to shoot sometimes. Lately, the message seems to be sinking in a bit deeper. On Monday, Paul’s season-high 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting served as the catalyst behind the Phoenix Suns’ 130-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Playing without Devin Booker, who’s carried this team for most of the season, not to mention a host of other key players, the Suns needed it. “I told him, I could tell when he came out here with his pace, his tone, the shots he was taking, I kind of knew it was gonna be a big night for him,” Torrey Craig said. “And I love…

Devin Booker has had some memorable and historic performances in his eight-year career, but Saturday’s masterpiece may be his finest yet. It wasn’t just Booker’s season-high 58 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. It wasn’t the 25 straight points he scored for the Phoenix Suns to bridge the third and fourth quarters, and it wasn’t the stunning nature of their 118-114 comeback win over the New Orleans Pelicans — the current 2-seed in the Western Conference who have had their number lately — after trailing by as many as 24 points. Booker has been in situations where he’s basically had to score half his team’s points. He’s scored more than 58 points in a game before, after all. But what…