Coming off a double overtime loss, the Warriors will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Warriors vs. SunsSaturday, Dec. 37:30 p.m.Oracle Arena
TV: CSN Bay Area
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
Coming off a double overtime loss, the Warriors will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. This will be the third of four matchups between the two teams this season, with Golden State prevailing in each of the first two encounters. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Watch the action on CSN Bay Area, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game or on the Warriors Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors ran out of gas and fell 132-127 to the Rockets in double overtime on Thursday night. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW
16-3
1st in West
118.1 PPG (1st)
44.4 RPG (13th)
31.1 APG (1st)
PHX
6-13
13th in West
106.2 PPG (10th)
46.1 RPG (3rd)
18.3 APG (29th)
PROJECTED STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia
PHX:: Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, P.J. Tucker, Marquese Chriss and Tyson Chandler
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Damian Jones is on D-League assignment. Team Notes
PHX: T.J. Warren (minor head injury) is out. Derrick Jones Jr. is on D-League assignment. Team Notes
COACH OF THE MONTH
Steve Kerr has earned numerous accolades in his two-plus seasons at the helm of the Warriors, and he added one more when he was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for the month of November on Friday. Kerr led the Warriors to a league-best 16-2 (.889) record during the season’s opening month, including an NBA-best 12-game win streak. During the month, Golden State led the league in scoring (117.6 points per game), assists (31.1), field goal percentage (.502) and point differential (+12.7) while posting a 9-1 mark away from home. The Warriors compiled a streak of 10 consecutive games with at least 30 assists, tied for the second-longest 30-assist streak in NBA history, and set a franchise record with 47 helpers in a 43-point win over the Lakers on November 23. With a win at Boston on November 18, Kerr earned his 150th career regular-season coaching victory, becoming the fastest coach to reach 150 regular-season wins in NBA history by doing so in his 176th game, besting the mark previously set by Avery Johnson (191 games). The award is the fourth career Coach of the Month honor for Kerr, which equals the amount of monthly honors won by all other coaches in Warriors history since the NBA began giving out the award in 1982-83.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
PTS: Durant (27.1)
REB: Green (8.6)
AST: Green (6.9)
PHX
PTS: Booker (19.1)
REB: Chandler (11.7)
AST: Bledsoe (5.3)
PHOENIX SCOUTING REPORT
It will have been 20 days since the Warriors and Suns last played each other when they matchup again on Saturday, and both sides find themselves in relatively the same position as the last time. While Golden State has remained atop the Western Conference standings, Phoenix has conversely remained toward the bottom, and currently sits well outside the playoff picture with a 6-13 record. The young Suns (104.39) and the Warriors (103.04) play at the first and third-fastest paces in the league, respectively, and have cranked it up a notch in their two previous encounters this season, where they’ve combined to average 105.90 possessions per 48 minutes. The two sides differ greatly in their ability to create open shots for others, as 71.7 percent (1st in NBA) of Golden State’s baskets come off an assist, whereas Phoenix ranks dead last in the league with an assist percentage of 46.6. Golden State’s 12-game win streak was brought to an end on Thursday, but if they play their style of basketball and get the ball moving, they stand a great chance at beginning a new one on Saturday night.