The Golden State Warriors will host the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday night, with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing performances on Friday.
Phoenix Suns’ Struggles
The Suns enter the game having lost four of their last five games, including a 98-89 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Phoenix managed just 14 points in the second quarter and shot 38.6 percent from the field for the game. Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was ejected in the third quarter after slapping Mavericks’ Naji Marshall across the head. Nurkic is likely to face discipline from the NBA, and his absence would be a significant blow to the Suns, as he averages 8.8 points and leads the team with 9.5 rebounds per game.
Phoenix has been without star guard Devin Booker, who has missed the past four games with a groin injury and will be sidelined again on Saturday. Booker averages 25.1 points per game, while Kevin Durant leads the team with 27.5 points per game, scoring 35 in Friday’s loss.
Golden State Warriors’ Challenges
The Warriors also struggled in their 102-92 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, shooting 36.8 percent from the field overall and 18.4 percent (7-for-38) on 3-pointers. Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ leading scorer at 22.5 points per game, missed Friday’s game for knee-injury management. Draymond Green, averaging 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, is dealing with a lower-back contusion but is expected to return on Saturday.
Golden State hopes to see an improvement from point guard Dennis Schroder, who was acquired in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 14. Schroder averaged 18.4 points per game with Brooklyn but has averaged just 8.2 points in five games with the Warriors.
Previous Matchup and Expectations
The Warriors and Suns previously met on Nov. 30, with Phoenix winning 113-105. This will be their second matchup of the season, and both teams will be eager to secure a win to halt their recent losing streaks.
Key Matchup
With both teams looking to rebound from their recent losses, this game will be crucial for setting the tone for the rest of their seasons.
