PHOENIX — The NBA season passed the halfway point last month, but the All-Star break brings time for greater reflection. Despite a mini-slump, the Phoenix Suns remain one of the league’s biggest surprises, with a chance to contend for a higher Western Conference postseason seed than nearly anyone expected.

Before Wednesday night’s 136-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder — a game in which the Suns held out guards Devin Booker and Jalen Green for injury management and also didn’t have guard Grayson Allen because of a knee issue — first-year coach Jordan Ott said the Suns have found different ways to win, often under difficult circumstances.

The improvement is easy to track. Since this time last season, the Suns (32-23) have posted six more wins. Among Western Conference teams, only the San Antonio Spurs, with 15 more wins since last season’s All-Star break, have improved more. In addition, Phoenix has not lost more than two in a row since before Halloween.

“The resilience just to go out and play,’’ Ott said of the team’s biggest first-half positive. “You never know who can’t suit up. It doesn’t matter who we play. I think that’s the part we can be the most proud of, that we go out and play our style of basketball every night.”

Even so, the Suns have not yet advanced beyond “good story” into “serious threat.” On Feb. 3, they beat Portland to improve to 31-20. Two nights later, they returned home, blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost to a Golden State team playing without Stephen Curry. In Tuesday’s win over rebuilding Dallas, the Suns built a 31-point, first-half lead only to let the Mavericks climb back into the contest.

Phoenix might need the rest that comes with the All-Star break. Or, the Suns could be starting to reach their ceiling. Injuries have contributed to the uncertainty.

Green has played in only seven games because of a hamstring injury. In addition, Booker has missed eight of 10 contests due to an ankle issue. While the Suns have done well to stay competitive, they still do not know what they look like at full strength. Twenty-seven games remain.

Green is the key. Ott said the Suns are still figuring out how the explosive guard best operates on the court. For example, does he need a screen to attack the basket or just space? A career 19.9-point scorer, Green admits this has been the hardest of his five NBA seasons, not just physically, but also mentally. This week, he told reporters he caught himself second-guessing on when to attack during a recent game.

“That’s going to go out the window once I get some games under my belt,” Green said.

Once Green returns to form — he’s come off the bench in five of his seven games — the Suns may have to adjust roles, perhaps more for one player than anyone else. Through much of the season’s first half, Dillon Brooks, also a key part of the Durant trade, played at an All-Star level. He not only produced the defensive edge Phoenix needed, but he also became a top-scoring option. Entering Wednesday, the 6-foot-6 Brooks was averaging a career-best 21.2 points on a career-high 17.6 field-goal attempts. (He averaged 13.4 points on 11.3 shots during two seasons in Houston.)

Dillon hit the spin move 🌪️🌪️ pic.twitter.com/JTn3NttkS3

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 12, 2026

With Green out, Brooks’ scoring has been needed, but he’s also had spurts when he has tried to do too much, holding the ball and taking contested shots. In Tuesday’s win over Dallas, Brooks shot 7 of 9 in the first quarter and 4 of 17 the rest of the way. Then there’s this: Brooks picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s loss. Unless the NBA rescinds it, he will have to serve a one-game suspension. Phoenix next plays Feb. 19 at San Antonio.

Every scorer has to figure out when it’s best to look for a shot and when it’s best to move the ball. In addition, Ott said Brooks is learning how to deal with increased defensive attention. Personnel matters, too. In Tuesday’s win over Dallas, Brooks didn’t need to do as much with Booker and Green on the court. With both guards sidelined against Oklahoma City, he had no choice and responded with 23 points.

“Knowing when to be aggressive, at what spots he can be aggressive at, I think he’s trying to put all that together,’’ Ott said. “And we’re here to help him.”

The Suns’ defense — a strength all season — has slipped, but they have established a solid reputation. They scrap. Few teams play harder. Before Wednesday’s win, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the Suns play to their physical identity. He credited the edge Brooks has brought and the improvement of third-year guard Collin Gillespie, but added that their improvement runs deeper.

“The overall tone of that team (from) last season to this season has changed significantly,’’ Daigneault said. “Teams that don’t make a lot of mistakes on either end of the floor are teams that you can watch from a distance and know what they’re emphasizing and what they’re trying to do.

“How consistently hard they play is a credit to their players. And then it’s a credit to their coach and coaching staff.”

Ott said the All-Star break comes at a good time, and he expects his team to return with an edge.

“We have to get back to doing what we do defensively,” he said. “Offensively, it’s going to change when we’re healthy. Evaluating all that … there is some time here to kind of dive into it.

“On top of everyone getting the necessary recovery, not only physically, just mentally, a couple days, but this group is going to be ready. Monday, Tuesday, these guys are going to be back. That is how they’re wired.”