Two teams aiming to get back on the winning track face off Saturday night, as the Phoenix Suns host the Golden State Warriors in a clash of squads that recently suffered home losses to the Brooklyn Nets.
This matchup could feature a rare head-to-head showdown between Olympic teammates Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, both of whom have been dealing with recent injuries.
After helping the Suns to an 8-1 start, Durant missed seven straight games due to a strained calf, during which Phoenix went just 1-6. The Suns rebounded with a 127-100 home blowout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in Durant’s return, where he contributed 23 points. He then scored 30 points the next night against the Nets, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 127-117 defeat.
Turnovers have plagued the Warriors more than the Suns. Golden State has committed more turnovers than their opponents in three straight games, resulting in losses in all three. Curry wasn’t on the court during Wednesday’s 105-101 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to sore knees, but he has had at least three turnovers in each of the last 10 games, including three in losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Nets, which started the losing streak after a 12-3 start.
Curry’s absence gave Pat Spencer a rare opportunity, and the former lacrosse standout, who transitioned to basketball at Northwestern as a fifth-year collegian, impressed Warriors coach Steve Kerr with a six-point, four-rebound, three-assist performance against the Thunder.
Curry is expected back for the game against Phoenix, marking the first meeting this season between the Pacific Division rivals.
Curry and Durant were teammates on the Warriors for three years, a period that resulted in championships in 2017 and 2018, and a near-miss in 2019 when Durant and Klay Thompson were injured during the Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Since Durant left for the Nets after the 2019 Finals, the Warriors have faced Durant’s teams 19 times. Curry and Durant have been healthy enough to play head-to-head in just six of those games, with Durant’s teams winning four times—twice with the Nets and twice with the Suns.
In their six head-to-head matchups, Curry has outscored Durant 157-135.
The Warriors and Suns haven’t met in the postseason in those years. The last time Golden State faced Phoenix in the playoffs was in 1994, when Curry was 6 years old and Durant was 5.
