Suns @ Warriors Preview & Prediction

By Don Phillips
Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
Wednesday, December 16@10:30

 
Golden State’s 24-game win streak came to an end in Milwaukee, where the Warriors suffered their first loss after an NBA-record 24-0 start to the season to end the second-longest win streak in league history… The loss also ended the best road start in NBA history (14-0) and third-longest road win streak (14)… Golden State finished its season-long seven-game road trip with a 6-1 record (no team in NBA history has ever finished undefeated on a trip of at least seven games)… The Warriors failed to score 100 points for the first time in a game this season, hitting a season-low six threes on 23.1 percent from distance, also a season-low.

Draymond Green had his second-straight 20/10 game, a first in his career, matching a season-high with 24 points to go with 11 rebounds… Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 28 points… The Warriors cut a 14-point Bucks lead down to one point late in the third quarter, but were unable to regain the lead… Greg Monroe led the Bucks with 28 points to go with 11 rebounds.

Golden State leads the NBA in points per game (115.3), field goal percentage (.487), assists per game (28.6), threes per game (13.1), three-point percentage (.425), point differential (+13.1), fast break points (21.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.80).

The Warriors also lead the NBA in Offensive Rating (112.9), which measures the points scored by a team per 100 possessions, and Net Rating (14.8), which is the difference between Offensive and Defensive Rating.

The Warriors have dished out at least 30 assists in 11 games this season, a league-high.

Golden State set an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a half with 15 threes in the first half on 11/27 at Phoenix. The Warriors also set a franchise record for three-pointers made in a game, connecting on 22 triples on 11/27 at Phoenix.

Stephen Curry leads the league in true shooting percentage (.688), which accounts for field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage taken individually, and ranks second in effective shooting percentage (.640), which accounts for three-point field goals being worth 50 percent more than other field goals. Draymond Green leads all forwards in assists, dishing out a career-best 7.0 assists per game, the most ever by a Warriors forward in a single season.

The Warriors have won four straight in the series, winning the final three last season after the Suns gave Golden State their first loss in the first meeting of 2014-15. The Suns are 3-6 against the Warriors since 2013-14, one of just six NBA teams to have won at least three games against Golden State from 2013-2015. The home team won each of the four meetings in 2013-14 as the two teams tied the season series 2-2. The Suns have won 14 of their last 27 against Golden State. The Warriors had won six-straight in the series entering 2013-14 which came following a seven-game win streak by the Suns.

Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight join Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Houston’s James Harden, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Washington’s John Wall and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook as the only NBA players averaging at least 20.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game this season. Charles Barkley in his MVP season of 1992-93, Jeff Hornacek in his All-Star season of 1991-92 and Kevin Johnson in 1988-89 are the only players in Suns history to exceed these marks that both Bledsoe and Knight are achieving this season.

Selection: Over 220

Go to the best offshore sportsbook, America’s Bookie today for this game and all your wagering needs.