PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns are riding a high entering a difficult three-game stretch in their schedule which begins on the road tonight against the Golden State Warriors.
Phoenix (3-4) has dominated in its last two games, picking up big victories over the Utah Jazz and previously undefeated San Antonio Spurs, and looked much better than it did to start the season as the Suns continue to learn and grow in new coach Jordan Ott’s system.
However, the Suns are still seeking their first road win of the season and will have a tough test tonight against Golden State (4-3), who has dropped its last two games and will be motivated coming off a loss Saturday to the previously winless Indiana Pacers.
Phoenix will still be without Jalen Green (right hamstring strain), who has yet to make his Suns debut, and Dillon Brooks (core muscle strain) for the fifth-straight game. Ryan Dunn (left knee contusion) is probable.
Al Horford (left toe) is notably out for the Warriors, while Jimmy Butler (lower back soreness) was added to the report today as questionable in what will be the first game of a back-to-back for the Warriors.
Here are some keys to victory tonight for the Suns:
Containing Stephen Curry has been the No. 1 key to any team playing the Warriors over the last decade-plus, and the Suns will have to devise a game plan to do so after a very successful one against Victor Wembanyama in Sunday’s 130-118 victory over the Spurs.
Brooks has had some battles in the past guarding Curry, but without him in the lineup, the responsibility will likely fall primarily on Ryan Dunn and Royce O’Neale tonight with Jordan Goodwin also being an option off the bench, although it will be a full-team effort.
Curry is averaging 26.6 points while shooting 38.5% from 3 and 4.4 assists so far and is coming off a game where he struggled from deep against Indiana, converting only four of his season-high 16 3-point attempts.
This game will be another great opportunity for the Suns’ coaching staff to come up with a good plan against a very difficult cover and the players to execute the plan, just as they did against Wembanyama.
The Suns finally started knocking down their open looks consistently off Devin Booker’s passes against San Antonio, shooting an incredible 19-for-33 (57.6%) from 3, leading to a season-high 13 assists from Booker.
Ott and the rest of the coaching staff and players have constantly praised Booker for making the right play, and the stats show it, as he is third in the NBA in potential assists per game at 17 even while averaging 30 points per game through the first seven contests.
In addition to his offense, Ott has also lauded Booker for setting the tone defensively the past two games.
“He continues to make the right pass, make the right play,” Ott said of Booker after the Spurs win. “I think I’ve said that consistently, no matter what coverage, how many shots he gets, he’s just going to make the right play. And I think we all feel good about his decision-making in those spots, and we kind of know where we’re going offensively when the ball gets to a certain spot.
“Again, I thought overall, his gameplay, his command of the offense tonight, was at a high level. Obviously started out really well. I think we all should applaud him for his defense again. I think his defensive intent to start the game, that’s multiple games in a row where he was able to set the tone for his offense with his defense. “
Booker is the Suns’ engine, and they are feeding off his performances the last two games and will need to do so again tonight.
Both the Suns and Warriors have been two of the sloppiest teams in the league so far in terms of taking care of the ball, as Phoenix is averaging the third-most team turnovers per game (17.3) and Golden State the sixth-most (17.1).
Phoenix has struggled so far this season when it commits live ball turnovers, and the Warriors, especially after the addition of Butler last season, love to feast on these.
Conversely, the Suns have played really well in transition so far and rank eighth in points off turnovers (20.3 per game).
The Suns cannot afford to play sloppy especially in a road environment like Golden State and will need to take advantage of the Warriors’ miscues.
Mark Williams has been a difference maker since entering the starting lineup three games ago and his greatest impact has been his paint presence defensively.
The Warriors like to play small and will likely do so especially without Horford, but the Suns’ center rotation when Williams starts has proven that it can hold its own against any situation so far.
Golden State’s style will present a unique challenge, but the Suns will have to look for Williams as much as they can inside offensively, especially with him scoring under 10 points in each of the last two games, and try to avoid him switching outside as much as possible defensively so he can protect the paint.
Oso Ighodaro and Nick Richards will also have to be ready when their names are called.
Tonight’s game is schedule to tip off shortly after 8:00 p.m. MST.