Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns Prediction: The Warriors are average, the Suns are below-average

The NBA midseason is upon us and with the trade deadline just a month away, trade rumors have started to pick up the heat. Various teams have depth issues while others are in need of both draft picks and young players so there will be a lot of market movement in the coming window. Will we see the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors make some trades too as they meet here in a match-up that doesn’t have the excitement as of the last season?

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors come into this game after yet another embarrassing performance as they lost 101:115 against the Orlando Magic despite a 26 points performance by Anthony Lamb. The Warriors have lost two in a row, both at home and against teams that have been among the worst record-holders. The Warriors have just gathered 20 wins and have lost 20 games which have been also caused by the absence of Stephen Curry but also some awful defense, especially away from home, an issue that was common even when Curry was active.

Indeed their away record is abysmal as they have lost 16 and have won just three games. One other reason why the Warriors have been unable to stay afloat has been that even this deep into the season coach Steve Kerr has been unable to figure out the rotations. The management didn’t do a great job during the offseason and it is showing now in the record. Jordan Poole has had multiple 25+ points performances but the youngster still needs to go some way. Will the Warriors even finish in the top four this season?

Phoenix Suns

The Suns come into this game after suffering a 98:112 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite a 25 points performance by Duane Washington Jr. The Suns have lost six in a row and in an extended period, they have lost 14 out of their 18 games which imply major struggles and unprecedented change in fortune. They have 21 losses and 20 wins which is after a season where they had the best record with 64 wins and 18 losses. Of course, the absence of Devin Booker has hurt the picture but frankly, the Suns should have been better.

And I say that because both Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton have been rated very highly as two-way Stars but frankly, they haven’t performed as expected. More was needed from them because Chris Paul’s scoring is down and the team is also missing two key rotation players Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson. As they are missing their Ace Booker, and the aforementioned two players, scoring has been down due to which they have scored below 100 in four straight games and 104 or fewer in six straight games.

Injuries

• Warriors: OUT: Jonathan Kuminga, JaMychal Green, James Wiseman. QUESTIONABLE: Stephen Curry. PROBABLE: Klay Thompson;
• Suns: OUT: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, Cameron Johnson. Game-Time Decisions: Landry Shamet, Deandre Ayton, Torrey Craig.

Player Props Predictions

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jordan Poole(26-32 Points), Klay Thompson(23-31 Points), Deandre Ayton(22-27 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Kevon Looney(10-13 Rebounds), Deandre Ayton(9-12 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmaker: Draymond Green(6-9 Assists).

Expert Betting Tips

The Warriors have been not handling the business well against losing teams but with Curry nearing his return, things are looking more promising as the team badly needs his injection. The Suns have been in a worse situation as the team’s offense has been one of the worst lately. Defensively, the Suns have fought already whereas the Warriors’ defense has been one of the worst in the league. However, I refuse to believe that the Warriors will lose three in a row at home. I predict a scoreline of 117:108 in the favor of the Warriors.