The Golden State Warriors will be looking to snap their run of three consecutive defeats when they visit the Footprint Center to face the Phoenix Suns on Sunday morning.
Steve Kerr's men have failed to win each of their last four road games against the Suns since a 116-107 victory in December 2021 and will head into the weekend looking to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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The Phoenix Suns shot 53% from the field on Thursday morning as they fell to a 127-117 defeat against the Brooklyn Nets when the two sides squared off at the Footprint Center.
While it was back and forth in the first half, with both sides level 63-63 heading into half time, the Suns collapsed in the second half as they found themselves trailing by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter before losing the tie by 10.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant both knocked down 30+ points to keep the Suns in the contest while Tyus Jones dropped 10 points and 12 assists to record his fourth double-double but Tyler Martins and Dennis Schroder scored a combined 16 points in the fourth quarter to hand the Nets the win.
This came just over 24 hours after the Suns snapped their run of five back-to-back defeats courtesy of a dominant 127-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Footprint Center.
In fairness, the Suns have failed to live up to expectations so far as they find themselves in ninth-place in the Western Conference standings, only above the San Antonio Spurs in the top-10 places, having gone 10-8 from their opening 18 matches.
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The Golden State Warriors fought back from a 19-point deficit to find their way back into the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, but their failure to score in clutch moments saw them fall 105-101 against OKC at the Chase Center.
Having trailed by as many as 19 points, the Warriors found themselves ahead in the fourth quarter for the third consecutive game, but once again they failed to see out the win as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 35 points inspired the Thunder to a huge road win against Western Conference contenders.
Since seeing off the New Orleans Pelicans 112-108 on November 23, Kerr's side have now lost each of their subsequent three matches, their longest run of consecutive defeats since also losing three straight matches in December 2023.
How the Warriors bounce back from their recent slump could be informative on what lies ahead and their championship intent as they head into the weekend looking to find their feet and secure just their third win in six games on the road.
It is worth noting that Kerr's men, who are 12-6 this season and sit third in Western Conference standings, have lost each of their last four visits to the Footprint Center since December 2021, a run that does not bode well with their chances this weekend.
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Team News
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The Phoenix Suns remain without guard Collin Gillespie, who is set for a four-week spell on the sidelines after suffering a right ankle fracture against the Dallas Mavericks on October 27.
Durant is currently averaging 27.4 points per game in what has been a solid start to the season and the 36-year-old will be looking to continue from where he left off in his 30-point shooting display against the Nets.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors remain without the services of De'Anthony Melton, who had been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury.
Curry did not suit up against the Thunder on Thursday morning due to a knee problem and the two-time MVP will be considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's game.
TEAM1 possible starting 5:
Booker, Jones, Nurkic, Beal, Durant
TEAM2 possible starting 5:
Podziemski, Waters, Green, Kuninga, Wiggins
We say: Golden State Warriors to win by 5+ points.
The Golden State Warriors have suffered a drop-off in form but will be backing themselves against an out-of-sorts Phoenix Suns side who have lost six of their last seven matches. We predict a thrilling matchup at the Footprint Center, with the Warriors claiming a narrow victory.
