A clash of the top two teams in the NBA on Christmas Day is the gift that keeps giving. The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have been battling for the top spot since the opening tip and it’s likely to continue throughout the season. They’ve already played twice with each winning on its home floor and between them they have 11 losses. There are only two other teams with fewer defeats showing us just how dominant those clubs have been. The Suns have rattled off 14 consecutive victories at home after dropping their first two while the Warriors have a spiffy 10-4 road record.
The contest between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns takes place at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 25, 2021, from Footprint Center in Phoenix, AX and will air live on ABC. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Saturday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
Both teams play a game ahead of this matchup but you know they are looking forward to this tilt. While some might think the records are a surprise I would beg to differ. The Warriors were among the favorites to win the O’Brien Trophy before the season began and they’ve proven why. They have yet to lose consecutive games with some pundits boasting this club is better than ones the Warriors trotted out during their championship years. That remains to be seen with plenty of games remaining to be played, but so far so good. And any talk of the Suns 51-win last season being a fluke has been put to rest. After a slow start that saw them lose three of their first four games, the Suns went 24-2 in the next 26 contests that included a team record 18-game winning streak.
Golden State Warriors
To be one of the best teams in the Association this far into a season requires being good at both ends of the floor. So I guess it’s no coincidence that the Warriors and Suns are not only two of the most efficient teams on offense they are equally good defensively. With the game’s top marksman donning a Dubs jersey you know they are a threat to score. And they do that quite well with Steph Curry averaging the third-most points in the league with 27.1. They also get 18 points a night from Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole to rank fifth with 111.5 points per game.
But I think what’s more impressive about the Warriors is how they play defense. Every player on every team can score, but not everyone is committed to playing defense. It seems like the entire Dubs is. Teams struggle to shoot the ball against them and thus have a hard time scoring. The Warriors have not allowed an opponent to shoot higher than 50 percent from the field holding them to a league-best (or worst) 42.6 percent for the season. And their 101 points against is the top number. As a result the UNDER is 21-9 in their games.
Phoenix Suns
It didn’t look like the Suns would be in this position at the start of the season. Maybe it was a hangover from their run to the NBA Finals but losses to Sacramento and Portland had them at 1-3 SU and ATS through the first four games. Things turned around quickly with a win over Cleveland the first of 18 straight that vaulted Phoenix to top of the standings. The 17th win in that streak came against the Warriors, 104-96, with five players scoring in double figures. Deandre Ayton had a big game against the smaller Dubs with 24 points and 11 rebounds. And the Suns did a job on Curry holding him to just 12 points on 4 of 21 shooting.
And like the Warriors, the Suns are really good at stopping opponents. They rank among the top-5 in points allowed, field goal percentage defense and guarding the three-point stripe. And they’re just behind Golden State for the top defensive rating. The winning streak ended against the Warriors, 118-96. Not to make excuses but the Suns were playing the second of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights and were without the services of leading scorer Devin Booker. After missing seven games with a hamstring issue, Booker returned to drop 16 in a rout of Charlotte and had 24 points in a 108-90 pasting of the Lakers on Tuesday.
NBA Odds Pick
With leagues postponing and rescheduling games and players getting put in safety protocols due to COVID there’s always a chance something comes up. But regardless of who plays this should be a good one. There will be enough star power on the floor and both squads are looking to get the upperhand. The teams split the two earlier meetings with both games cashing the UNDER. Considering how strong they are defensively we’ll see the total adjusted accordingly. Still the winner will be stronger on that end and I like the Suns playing at home.
NBA Odds Prediction: Suns 106, Warriors 101
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