azcentral sports Sun Mar 9, 2014 9:24 AM

When a 400-meter runner hits the final turn, a remaining burst in the legs for the sprint to the finish line can be a difference maker.

Eric Bledsoe just might be that pop for the Suns at the season’s three-quarter pole.

Bledsoe said his return to game action is “probably Wednesday” for the Suns’ home game against Cleveland, but the point guard did not rule out the possibility of a return Sunday night at Golden State or Monday at the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bledsoe injured his knee Dec. 30 at the Clippers, his former team, and underwent Jan. 10 surgery to lead to a two-month rehabilitation process.

Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said that Bledsoe is likely to come off the bench initially but that there will be no limitations on him.

“Full throttle when I come back,” Bledsoe said Saturday. “I’m going to stay aggressive and stay in that mind-set I had to start the season.”

Bledsoe participated in all of the Suns’ Saturday practice, albeit a short one that was kept to half-court work because they needed rest heading into a 21-game stretch run with a league-high 14 remaining road games. The Suns have six games in the next nine days with the one home game seeming a bit like another stop on a six-city trip.

“It felt great for me,” Bledsoe said of practice. “My teammates kind of are a little fatigued or whatever, so it’s not more physical. When I start back playing, I’m going to look for the intensity level to be much higher.

“I’m relieved that I started practicing. As far as keeping my head and everything, it’s been tough, but for the most part my teammates kept me in it.”

Hornacek said it is “most likely” that Bledsoe would return for a home game.

He started getting five-on-five scrimmage work last weekend. There have been no knee issues. But conditioning and repetitions do not have him feeling like his old self despite teammates’ raves otherwise.

“I’m looking forward to that day,” Bledsoe said. “The doctor cleared me to play, so I’m ready to go.”

The Suns (36-25) have gone 17-14 since Bledsoe went out, to remain in playoff position.

They are two games behind Golden State (39-24), Sunday night’s opponent, while sitting percentage points ahead of Dallas (37-26) and a game ahead of Memphis (35-26).

“It’s been fun,” Bledsoe said of watching his team. “Gerald (Green), man, he’s probably one of the most-improved players in this league, him and Goran (Dragic). Just watching them play has been a doozy.

“I knew they weren’t going to let off the pedal when I went down. I knew they were going to keep coming, because this team has a lot of fight and we play hard every night.”

Bledsoe said he will accept whatever role that Hornacek has for him and play off his teammates.

“If he looks like he’s the same guy that he was earlier in the season, maybe it (a return to the starting lineup) is quicker than not, but if it takes him a while to get used to stuff, maybe it’s longer,” Hornacek said.

“Gerald is still going to get his minutes whether he is starting or off the bench. It’ll affect some of the other guys, maybe Ish (Smith) and Archie (Goodwin) a little, but those guys have been ready to play all year long. When they’ve had opportunities, they’ve stepped up. We’ve got to win games. Whatever we figure best to win games, that’s what we’ll do.”

Sunday night’s game is a chance for the Suns to pull within a game of the Warriors and win the season head-to-series that is a potential standings tiebreaker.

Phoenix leads the series 2-1 entering Sunday night’s final meeting.

Center Miles Plumlee, who missed the past two games for a right-knee sprain, was limited to non-contact work Saturday and could return to action Sunday night.

“Sometimes, you get on that road and you get in that bunker mentality with the players and you go into those games us against everybody in that gym,” Hornacek said. “That’s the way they have to approach it.”

Up next

Suns at Warriors

When: Sunday at 6 p.m.

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland.

TV/radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620), KPKX-FM (98.7).

Warriors update: Golden State (39-24) has the second-best record (8-2) and defensive field-goal percentage (41.5) since the All-Star break. The Warriors rank third in the NBA for defensive rating. G Klay Thompson left Friday’s home win against Atlanta with a lower-back strain after six minutes but is expected to play Sunday night. He has not missed a game in 211 NBA appearances. Former Suns C Jermaine O’Neal had 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench Friday. Over the past 15 games, Stephen Curry is shooting 49.4 percent (45.6 percent on 3-pointers). He ranks seventh in the NBA in points per game (23.6) and fifth in assists per game (8.7).