The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors have gotten off to mediocre starts this season, each going 15-15 through their opening 30 games and looking unlikely to achieve a play-off spot.
Despite the plethora of talent in their squads, the Suns and Warriors have struggled for consistency all season and have both hit a notable rough patch of late, making Saturday’s clash at the Chase Center a difficult one to call.
Steve Kerr will be boosted by the return of Steph Curry and Draymond Green for this clash, with that pair just about tipping the balance in the hosts’ favor.
Given this pair’s last meeting finished 113-105 in favor of Phoenix, many will be surprised to see the line so heavily in Golden State’s favor for Saturday’s showdown, with the Warriors six-point favorites for the win.
However, there are a few reasons to believe Kerr’s side can exact revenge at the Chase Center, starting with their available players.
Curry and Green sat out the Warriors’ 102-92 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, but Kerr has already confirmed his star duo will return for this clash, immediately boosting the hosts’ chances of dominating proceedings.
Green will be pivotal in limiting the impact of former Warrior Kevin Durant while Curry’s elite shooting will be required if Golden State are to move back to a positive record.
In contrast, Devin Booker remains out for the Suns. His absence will be significantly felt as his 27 points led Phoenix to victory in last month’s head-to-head and coach Mike Budenholzer simply doesn’t have the resources to replace his output.
The Suns fell to a 98-89 loss to the Mavericks on Friday, despite Luka Doncic’s absence for Dallas, marking the second time in three games they have failed to score more than 90 points, suggesting they may struggle to get near the Warriors’ tally at the Chase Center.
Lastly, Phoenix have struggled on the road all season. Budenholzer’s side have a woeful 5-8 record on their travels and their divisional rivals, who have won two of their last three home games against the Suns, are fancied to take the dub.
To say Curry went off in his last home appearance against the Suns would be a major understatement, as the Warriors star knocked down nine three-pointers in these sides’ last head-to-head in San Francisco.
Having been rested against the Clippers as a means of load-managing a bilateral knee injury, the 10-time all-star should be fresh for this game, which is bad news for Phoenix.
Tyus Jones is a solid defender, but his partner in the backcourt, Bradley Beal, leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to guarding the perimeter. Curry could get plenty of space to put up shots from beyond the arc and it would be no surprise to see him catch fire on Saturday.
The Baby-Faced Assassin has knocked down at least five threes in five of his 10 home appearances this season. While that is just a 50 per cent success rate for this tip, the Suns do not boast the defensive resources of the sides who have limited Curry.
The exceptions have been against the Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Timberwolves and Pacers. Those sides, respectively, had Norman Powell, Marcus Smart, Dyson Daniels, Mike Conley Jr. and Tyrese Haliburton keeping tabs on Curry - players who are all better defenders than any guard on the Suns’ roster.
Curry knocked down eight three-pointers in his last appearance and should make plenty again.
Jones is not only a solid defender, but he is also an excellent playmaker. In Booker’s absence, and even when playing alongside his star teammate, the former Grizzlies guard has really stepped up on a creative front, averaging 6.4 assists per game this term.
Jones will be tasked with creating open looks for the likes of Durant and Beal in San Francisco and he should step up to the plate against the Warriors again, having registered nine assists in last month’s head-to-head.
Golden State is clearly an opponent he loves playing too. Jones has managed at least five assists in each of his last five meetings against the Warriors, notching at least 10 on three of those occasions, including a career-high 17 in February.
Back Jones to dominate Golden State on the playmaking front once again on Saturday.
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Phoenix Suns | +200 ML |
Golden State Warriors | -245 ML |
Spread | GS Warriors -6.5 |
Total Points | O/U 219.5 |
Kevin Durant (PHX) | O/U 29.5 |
Stephen Curry (GS) | O/U 24.5 |
Bradley Beal (PHX) | O/U 20.5 |
Andrew Wiggins (GS) | O/U 15.5 |
Tyus Jones (PHX) | O/U 11.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.