At the beginning of the season, a matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers would not have been marquee, but now the Suns are one of the Western Conference's top teams and the matchup appears to be a preview for what is to come in the playoff race. The Suns are hoping to have one of their top players back for the matchup as Phoenix continues to make a push for a favorable seed in the Western Conference.

Eric Bledsoe is hopeful he can return Monday night or later in the week. The top scorer has not been available since Jan. 10 after he tore his meniscus. The point guard was playing a big part in the rise of Phoenix. He was averaging 18.0 points and 5.8 assists prior to getting injured. Returning to the court against his former team would certainly be a fun option for the second-leading scorer.

Phoenix wants that final playoff spot. The team dropped their tie with the Memphis Grizzlies after the team lost to Golden State over the weekend. The Suns were able to cut a 16-point deficit with just over seven minutes to play, but they were not able to hold on and fell 113-107. Facing the division-leading Clippers is not a favorable matchup for a team fighting to move out of ninth place.

The Clippers are red hot right and are in the midst of a seven-game win streak. They were at risk of falling to the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend, put pulled out a one-point win. The team blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and had to be a saved by a Chris Paul layup with 30 seconds left.

In the team's last matchup against the Suns, Matt Barnes led the way with 28 points as the Clippers got the win. Barnes could be poised with another strong game. Bledsoe put up a season-low seven points against his former lead in their first matchup back in December.