Who: Phoenix Suns (0-1) @ Golden State Warriors (0-2)
When: 7:00 pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, AZ
Watch: Suns+, 3TV/AZFS
Listen: AZ Sports 98.7
The Phoenix Suns had two full days to sit with their historic season-opening loss. Two days to flush it out.
It was a historically bad season-opening loss in Portland; we all know it. Devin Booker called it a “wake-up call”. We don’t want a players-only meeting. We don’t want to hear any more pep talks. We want a response on Saturday night against Golden State, in front of the home crowd, that tells us Game 1 was a fluke.
The Suns will face a shorthanded Warriors squad that is coming off a collapse last night against the Grizzlies in their home opener. They’re basically without… everyone?
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Luke Kennard — QUESTIONABLE (Left Knee Tendinopathy)
- Oso Ighodaro — OUT (Oblique Strain)
- Mark Williams — OUT (Left Shoulder Surgery)
Warriors
- Kristaps Porzingis — OUT (Health)
- Stephen Curry — OUT (Rest)
- Brandin Podziemski — OUT (Back)
- Jimmy Butler — OUT (Knee)
- Moses Moody — OUT (Knee)
- Al Horford — OUT (Rest)
- Draymond Green — DOUBTFUL (Rest)
Here’s my quick hit on the Suns-Warriors injury report ahead of tonight’s game!
What to Watch For
Oso Ighodaro is OUT
That stings for this specific matchup. Oso is the guy who can switch onto Golden State’s guards, run the floor, and keep the ball moving out of the short roll.
Losing him thins out a frontcourt that just got beat by 14 on the glass. The good news is the Warriors are a much smaller and less athletic team than Portland. Khaman will need to be ready, as the Warriors will certainly try to drag him away from the rim and hunt him on the perimeter.
Steph-less
Curry tweaked his ankle before the Lakers game, was listed as probable, and played. Golden State just hosted Memphis Friday in its home opener, which makes Phoenix the second night of a back-to-back. It should come as no surprise that this early in the season, especially after a scare in an open practice that he will sit this one out.
The Warriors will rely on a combination of Gary Payton II, Brandon Williams, LJ Cryer, De’Anthony Melton, and Will Richard to pick up the guard play.
When Steph sits, Draymond tends to hunt for trouble. Put him and Brooks on the same floor and a scuffle feels inevitable. Phoenix needs Brooks to win that exchange on the scoreboard and keep his head.
Already depleted
While the Suns are down Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro, Golden State has deep issues of their own. Jimmy Butler is out until after the new year, and Kristaps Porzingis may not ever play another game of basketball. Plus, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody are out.
The Suns must control the game defensively, beccause it could be difiicutl for the Warriors to get buckets with this group.
Key to a Suns Win
1) Fix the shot diet. Phoenix took just four corner shots the entire night in Portland, two of them in the 4th, and went 6-of-33 from deep. The rest was contested mid-range junk, the shots Portland funneled them into. Credit the Blazers for executing their plan. Golden State will try to copy that film. The Suns need early rim touches and kick-outs to the corners in the first six minutes, before the Warriors get comfortable and the Suns get frustrated again.
2) The ball has to move. Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks combined for zero assists. One game, I get it, and I’m not torching the roster build yet. But the connective passing that made this group fun last year was nowhere. Against a Warriors defense that loads up on Booker, the second pass is the whole game.
3) Watch the defensive assignments. Expect rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (who already made headlines calling out Luka’s whining and then guarded him well) on Booker, with De’Anthony Melton or Gary Payton II sliding to Jalen Green.
This is a scrappy roster with or without Steph, and they will compete. It’s a group that is trying to prove themselves and has nothing to lose at this point, which swings all the pressure back in Phoenix’s direction.
Prediction
The Suns take advantage of the Warriors’ lack of depth and feed off the home crowd to get a double-digit win while holding Golden State just below 100 points. Anything less than a win and we need to have a serious discussion about this team.
Suns 111, Warriors 99
Let us know your prediction below. See you in the Game Thread!
