The In-Season Tournament is now behind the Suns and the rest of the NBA. It is time to once again focus on the task at hand, which is putting together a string of victories, and moving up in the standings. After three days off, Phoenix is looking to welcome back Bradley Beal to the starting lineup. It’s been since November 12 against the Oklahoma City Thunder since we’ve seen him play.
His first test is going to come against a Golden State Warriors team in a nationally televised game on TNT. The Warriors, who come in 10-12, are not the same lethal presence that they were just two seasons ago. While Steph Curry continues to be an elite offensive player, Draymond Green is moodier (he missed games this season due to suspension, including the last matchup against the Suns), Thompson is struggling (shooting a career-worst 35.4% from three-point range), and the team became older with the addition of Chris Paul this off-season.
And no, Scott Foster will not be officiating this one. We know what happened last time, Chris Paul and Scott Foster crossed paths, which happened right here in downtown Phoenix.
The Warriors, like the Suns, have yet to find their footing this season. They too are a team in the middle, as they possess a +0.4 net rating (17th), which isn’t far off from Phoenix’s +2.2 (14th).
So as we once again welcome Chris Paul and Dario Saric back, this time with (hopefully) the Suns’ Big Three, we hope that the Suns can move their record to 3-0 against their Pacific Divisoin rival.
Probable Starters
PHOENIX
- Devin Booker
- Bradley Beal
- Eric Gordon
- Kevin Durant?
- Jusuf Nurkic
GOLDEN STATE
- Steph Curry
- Klay Thompson
- Andrew Wiggins
- Draymond Green
- Kevon Looney
Uniform Matchup
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Injury Report
Suns:
Bradley Beal — AVAILABLE (Low Back Strain)
Kevin Durant — QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain)