By John Fix | FixItWhy Sports | April 9, 2026
When the Phoenix Suns needed their franchise star to deliver the most important performance of the season, Devin Booker didn’t just show up — he took over. On Wednesday night at Footprint Center, Booker erupted for 37 points as the Suns held off a furious Dallas Mavericks comeback to win 112-107, officially clinching the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and guaranteeing themselves home-court advantage in the NBA Play-In Tournament. It was the kind of high-pressure, close-out performance that separates all-time greats from mere All-Stars, and Booker proved once again that when the stakes are highest, he rises to the occasion.
The win locks Phoenix into a favorable play-in position where they’ll get two chances at home to win just one game against either the Los Angeles Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers. But the path to get here was anything but smooth — and Wednesday’s dramatic finish perfectly encapsulated the rollercoaster ride that has defined the Suns’ 2025-26 campaign.
Booker and Brooks Combined for 65 Points in a Gutsy Win
While Booker grabbed the headlines with his 37-point outburst on 13-of-27 shooting, it was the one-two punch of Booker and Dillon Brooks that ultimately proved too much for the short-handed Mavericks to handle. Brooks poured in 28 points of his own, giving the Suns’ backcourt a combined 65 points on the night. For a team that has struggled all season to find consistent offensive rhythm and generate stops on the defensive end, having both guards firing on all cylinders was exactly what Phoenix needed in a game with playoff-seeding implications on the line.
The Suns came out blazing, building a commanding 71-53 lead early in the third quarter that looked like it would turn into a comfortable blowout. But basketball games are 48 minutes long, and the Mavericks had other ideas. Dallas unleashed a devastating 18-1 run that erased the deficit and completely shifted the momentum. When Max Christie drilled a three-pointer to give the Mavericks a 95-93 lead with 8:16 remaining, the Footprint Center crowd went silent. The Suns’ season hung in the balance.
How the Suns Survived a Heart-Stopping Fourth Quarter
What happened next will define how this Phoenix team is remembered heading into the postseason. Rather than folding under pressure — something this roster has been accused of doing at various points throughout the year — the Suns responded with a decisive 9-0 run to reclaim the lead and never trailed again. It was the kind of composed, veteran response that suggests this team might have more postseason fight in them than their 43-36 regular season record indicates.
The Mavericks refused to go quietly. John Poulakidas — a 6-foot-5 undrafted rookie out of Yale who has been one of the feel-good stories of the NBA season — scored a career-high 23 points and pulled Dallas within 110-107 with a clutch three-pointer with just 1:08 remaining. The Mavericks had a chance to draw even closer on their next possession, but Oso Ighodaro delivered the play of the game when he rejected Moussa Cisse at the rim with a thunderous block that kept Phoenix’s lead intact. Brooks then sealed the victory with a driving layup with 13.7 seconds left, and the Suns could finally exhale.
On the flip side, Mavericks rookie and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Cooper Flagg had an uncharacteristically rough night, managing just 11 points on a brutal 4-of-19 shooting performance. For a player who scored 96 points across his previous two games, the cold shooting was a stark reminder that even the most talented rookies face growing pains in their first NBA season.
What the No. 7 Seed Means for Phoenix’s Playoff Chances
Clinching the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference is significant for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it guarantees the Suns home-court advantage in the Play-In Tournament. As the 7-seed, Phoenix will host the 8-seed in a win-or-go-home scenario where a victory sends them directly into the first round of the playoffs. Even if they lose that game, they get a second chance — hosting the winner of the 9-vs-10 play-in game for the final playoff spot.
Having two chances at home is a massive advantage compared to the alternative. The Clippers and Trail Blazers, both sitting three games behind Phoenix, are fighting for the 8, 9, and 10 seeds and will need to win on the road to advance. The Suns’ ability to lock up the 7-seed before the final weekend of the regular season means they can manage rest and prepare specifically for their play-in opponent rather than scrambling for seeding down the stretch.
The Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 14, giving Phoenix five days to rest, scout, and game-plan. For a team dealing with injuries — guards Jalen Green (right knee) and Jordan Goodwin (left ankle) both left Wednesday’s game early and didn’t return — that extra preparation time could be the difference between a quick exit and a genuine playoff run.
The Bigger Picture: Can These Suns Be a Threat in the Playoffs?
The honest assessment of the 2025-26 Suns is that they’ve been maddeningly inconsistent. A 43-36 record doesn’t scream championship contender, and their struggles to generate defensive stops and maintain offensive flow have been well-documented throughout the season. But the postseason is a different animal, and Phoenix has something that many teams in the Western Conference don’t — a bona fide superstar in Devin Booker who elevates his game when the lights are brightest.
Booker has averaged over 30 points per game in his playoff career, and his ability to take over fourth quarters was on full display Wednesday night. Pair that with Brooks’ defensive intensity and scoring punch, and the Suns have a foundation that can compete in a short series if everything clicks. The question isn’t whether Booker can carry this team for a game or two — it’s whether the supporting cast can provide enough help over a seven-game series to make noise in the deeper rounds.
The Suns’ first-round opponent will likely be one of the top seeds in the West — potentially the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Denver Nuggets — which would represent a massive challenge. But as Wednesday’s comeback win demonstrated, this is a team that refuses to quit, and with Booker in this kind of form, anything is possible once the play-in tips off.
Our Take
Here’s what casual fans might have missed watching the Suns-Mavs box score: Phoenix clinching the 7-seed isn’t just about avoiding the road — it fundamentally changes their play-in tournament math. Getting two home games means the Suns can afford to play aggressive, high-variance basketball in Game 1 rather than playing scared. Booker tends to thrive in environments where he can hunt mismatches without worrying about conserving energy for a must-win road game the next night.
From a betting and fantasy perspective, Booker’s play-in props are going to be fascinating. He’s averaged 33.5 points in his last four games with the season on the line, and the play-in format — single-elimination, maximum intensity — plays directly to his strengths as a shot-creator in clutch situations. If you’re building DFS lineups for the play-in tournament, Booker at the 7-seed hosting a Clippers or Blazers team with nothing to lose is a slate-breaker. Also keep an eye on Brooks, who has quietly been one of the most consistent secondary scorers in the league over the last month.
The injury situation is the wildcard. Jalen Green and Jordan Goodwin leaving Wednesday’s game early is concerning, but neither injury appeared to be structural based on early reports. If both are available for the play-in, this Suns roster at full strength — with Booker, Brooks, and Green all capable of scoring 20-plus on any given night — is genuinely dangerous. Don’t be surprised if Phoenix pulls off a first-round upset and becomes this year’s Cinderella story in the West.
Do you think the Suns can survive the Play-In Tournament and make a deep playoff run? Or is Booker’s brilliance not enough to overcome Phoenix’s inconsistency? Comment below!
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FixItWhy Media — John Fix, Author. This article is for informational purposes only.
About Mohammad Omar
Mohammad Omar is a writer and systems architect who thrives at the intersection of logic and lore. A graduate of South Dakota State University, Omar spends his days designing high-level AI infrastructure for a global tech leader. By night, he trades code for prose, channeling his technical precision into vivid storytelling and sharp sports commentary. Driven by a lifelong passion for gaming and athletics, his writing blends the strategic depth of a system engineer with the heart of a die-hard sports fan. Whether he’s deconstructing a game-winning play or building a fictional universe, Omar’s work is defined by a commitment to detail and a love for the "win."
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