The Golden State Warriors travel to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns at the PHX Arena on Thursday night.
Golden State dropped a 108-106 contest to the Portland Trail Blazers late Wednesday night for their second straight loss after a three-game winning streak. The Suns have won eight out of their last 10 games and their last three overall. Phoenix has climbed all the way to number 2 in the West and the top of the Pacific Division team standings.
This is the second meeting between these two teams this season with Phoenix winning the previous one at this same venue 114-93.
The Golden State Warriors are 19-17 on the season and they are in 4th place in the Pacific Division team standings. The Warriors have fallen out of playoff position at 9th in the Western Conference after dropping back-to-back games to the L.A. Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
In their last game, the Warriors lost a close one to the Blazers with Damian Lillard scoring Portland’s final 8 points for the win. Steph Curry had another big game with 35 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Andrew Wiggins and Kent Bazemore added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Meanwhile, Draymond Green had 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists for Golden State.
Golden State ranks 12th in the NBA in scoring at 114.0 points per game this season. They are 21st in the league in scoring defense at 112.8 points per game allowed. The Warriors are the league’s best passing team at 28.0 assists per game and are ranked 23rd in rebounding at 43.1 boards grabbed per contest.
The Phoenix Suns are 23-11 on the season and they are the owners of the best record in the Pacific Division. The Suns overtook the Lakers by beating the defending champions at Staples Center on Tuesday night. With that win, Phoenix also leapfrogged the Los Angeles Lakers for second place in the Western Conference team standings.
In their last game, the Suns had to dig deep after Devin Booker was ejected in the third quarter. Dario Saric rose to the occasion and scored 10 of his 21 points in the final stanza. Mikal Bridges also had a big game with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and five assists while Chris Paul has 8 points and a game-high 15 assists. DeAndre Ayton added 17 points and 5 rebounds while Booker had 17 points before he was sent off.
Phoenix has the league’s 4th best scoring defense at 107.4 points per game allowed. The Suns are 4th in the NBA in passing at 27.0 assists per game but they are just 22nd off the glass at 43.1 rebounds per game. Phoenix also ranks 13th in scoring at 113.4 points per game scored this season.
The Warriors are 6-5 SU in their last 11 games played. Golden State is 7-11 SU in 19 road games played this season, and 3-7 SU in ten road games against the Western Conference. The Suns are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played. Phoenix is just 11-6 in 17 home games played this season. Head to head, the Warriors are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Suns but Phoenix has won two out of the last three meetings between these two teams.
Golden State lost a close one to the Blazers on Wednesday night and it’s always hard to bounce back from those tough losses right away.
The Dubs have fallen outside the playoff picture and would want to get their spot right back. However, they will be in a tough position to do so against a Phoenix team that is playing like a well-oiled machine right now behind Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton.
Expect Steph Curry to lead the charge again while Draymond Green will continue to be their primary playmaker. But as we saw against Portland, this team struggles if they don’t get another 20-point scorer other than Curry. Phoenix has too many scorers here.
Prediction: Phoenix Suns
Golden State is 3-2 ATS in their last five games played. The Dubs are 6-17-1 ATS in their last 24 games when playing with zero days rest, 8-26 ATS in their last 34 Thursday games, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning record of .600. Phoenix is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played. The Suns are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played at home, 6-0 ATS in their last six Thursday games, 21-5 ATS in their last 26 games against an opponent with a winning SU record, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games when playing on one day rest. Head to head, the Warriors are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Suns. Golden State is also 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings in Phoenix.
Not only are the Warriors heading to this game with back-to-back losses, but they will also be playing on back-to-back nights against a well-rested Phoenix team that is playing excellent basketball right now. Devin Booker got ejected the last time out and look for Book to bounce back with a big game here. I like the Suns to outlast the Warriors in an exciting game.
Prediction: Suns -5.5
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Warriors. The under is 4-0 in their last four games played on the road, 4-0 in their last four games when playing on zero days rest, and 5-2 in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning home record. The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Suns. The over is 4-1 in Phoenix’s last five games played at home, and 5-2 in their last seven games when playing on one day rest. Head to head, the total has gone under in each of the last seven meetings between these two teams. The under is also 4-0 in the last four meetings in Phoenix.
The Warriors are in the Top 12 in the league in scoring but the Suns have the NBA’s 4th best defense. Phoenix also plays with the second slowest pace among all NBA teams so there won’t be too many opportunities for the Warriors to score here. Phoenix has a very potent scoring team but they won’t risk getting into a shootout with the Warriors. The Suns will use their defense to control the game and keep this a low-scoring game which will be to their advantage.
Prediction: Under 223.5
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