clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Preview: Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors, Round 4 of 4

The Suns visit the Warriors for the final game between the two Pacific Division teams.

By Sreekar
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns (36-25) pay a visit to the Golden State Warriors (39-24) for what could prove to be a very important game for each team's playoff positioning. A win tonight for Phoenix would bring them to a tie with the Golden State in the loss column and also give them the tiebreaker for the season, which could prove instrumental if both teams end the season with the same record.

The Warriors are playing well as of late, winning 8 of their last 10 and currently riding a 3 game winning streak. They currently have their #FullSquad together and are hoping to hit their stride as they regular season nears its end. The Suns, meanwhile, are winners of 6 of their last 10 and are coming off a huge home victory against the OKC Thunder, as they look to carry that momentum into a road victory tonight. Eric Bledsoe is returning on Wednesday, which will definitely help the Suns' regain some of their own #FullSquad swagger.

Who: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors

What: Round 4 of 4 between two Pacific Division teams vying for postseason berths.

When: 6pm PST/9pm EST (6pm AZ time)

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Why: Playoffs! Dragic vs. Curry! Pacific Division foes!

Recap of Rounds 1-3

Round 1: Suns (106-102 at home as the Slash Bros. prevail over the Splash Bros.)

Round 2: Warriors (Warriors rout Phoenix 115-86 in the Suns' biggest loss of the season)

Round 3: Suns (Goran Dragic's 34 points on 13 shots power Phoenix to a 122-109 at home)

The Opponent

FG 3PT FT Rebounds Misc
G M M A Pct M A Pct M A Pct Off Def Tot Ast TO Stl Blk PF PPG
Stephen Curry 60 36.9 8.2 17.8 46.1 3.3 8.0 41.3 3.9 4.5 86.7 0.6 3.8 4.5 8.7 3.9 1.6 0.2 2.7 23.6
David Lee 58 33.6 7.5 14.5 51.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.6 4.6 78.7 2.9 6.7 9.6 2.2 2.2 0.7 0.4 2.9 18.6
Klay Thompson 63 36.1 6.7 15.4 43.2 2.7 6.6 40.2 1.8 2.2 80.7 0.5 2.5 3.0 2.3 1.7 1.0 0.5 2.8 17.8
Jordan Crawford 62 25.4 4.1 10.0 41.1 1.1 3.5 30.7 2.2 2.5 87.0 0.4 2.1 2.5 4.3 1.9 0.7 0.1 1.6 11.5
Harrison Barnes 59 28.4 3.6 8.9 40.5 0.9 2.3 39.7 1.8 2.4 74.3 0.8 3.2 4.0 1.4 1.1 0.8 0.2 2.2 9.9
Andre Iguodala 51 32.9 3.5 7.6 46.6 1.0 2.9 34.5 1.3 2.1 63.2 0.8 3.9 4.7 4.3 1.7 1.6 0.3 1.7 9.4
Steve Blake 36 29.9 2.9 7.6 37.7 1.7 4.4 39.2 0.8 1.0 80.6 0.3 3.0 3.3 6.6 2.1 1.1 0.1 1.8 8.3
Jermaine O`Neal 29 20.8 2.8 5.6 50.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 3.0 73.9 1.9 3.5 5.4 0.4 1.2 0.4 1.0 2.5 7.9
Andrew Bogut 55 26.9 3.7 5.9 63.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.1 34.4 2.9 7.5 10.3 1.6 1.6 0.8 1.9 3.1 7.8
Marreese Speights 62 11.5 2.1 5.1 42.2 0.1 0.4 29.6 1.5 1.7 84.1 1.2 2.1 3.3 0.4 0.7 0.1 0.4 1.7 5.9
Draymond Green 63 20.3 2.0 5.2 38.4 0.6 1.9 30.3 1.0 1.5 62.5 1.0 3.6 4.6 1.7 1.0 1.2 0.8 2.6 5.5
Nemanja Nedovic 21 6.3 0.4 1.7 22.9 0.1 0.8 18.8 0.2 0.3 83.3 0.1 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.6 1.1
Ognjen Kuzmic 17 3.4 0.2 0.6 27.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 42.9 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.7 0.5

Key Matchups

Goran Dragic vs. Steph Curry

Per Game Stats:

Advanced Stats:

Both players' shooting percentages are phenomenal, but the fact that Dragic's TS% and eFG% are even higher than Curry's shows what a tremendous season he's having. It's really a shame that only one of these guys was an All-Star this year.

Gerald Green vs. Klay Thompson

Gerald Green is coming off a scintillating performance against the Thunder, when he scored a career-high 41 points. Both of these players are streaky volume shooters so it'll be interesting to see who will have the hot hand tonight.

Miles Plumlee/Alex Len vs. Andrew Bogut

There's no official word yet on whether Plumlee will be available for the game tonight. If he's not, Alex Len will likely get his third straight start and will have his work cut out for him against the imposing Andrew Bogut, one of the league's premier defensive centers. The Suns' big men will have to battle Bogut hard on the boards.

The Morris Twins vs. the Warriors Bench

Both Morris brothers were great against the Thunder on Thursday night and the Suns could surely use similar performances tonight. The Warriors' bench hasn't been very good this season, but their play has been much better lately. The twins will have to provide some scoring off the bench and outduel the likes of Draymond Green, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jordan Crawford.

Ish Smith vs. Steve Blake

With Eric Bledose still out until Wednesday night, Ish Smith will be the primary backup for Dragic and will need to play well against the Warriors' newest player, the very capable Steve Blake. Smith should be able to use his speed and quickness to make Blake work on the defensive end.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: I'll be at Oracle Arena covering this game and I'm hoping to get a chance to speak with a few of the Suns players to get some quotes. Be sure to follow me (@sreekyshooter) and Bright Side of the Sun (@BrightSideSun) on Twitter to keep up with live coverage.

More From Bright Side Of The Sun

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bright Side of the Sun Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Phoenix Suns news from Bright Side of the Sun