Suns vs Warriors Odds, Spread and Predictions (Dec. 25th)

• The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are the two best teams in the Western Conference
• They meet for the third time this season on Christmas Day 
• Read below for the latest odds, preview, and predictions

The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns matchup in Arizona on December, 25th. The season series sits at 1-1, though the Suns are favored by five points for this contest. Golden State is without several rotation players, and they are still awaiting the returns of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman.

The absence of key players means the relevance of this game is limited. There is no statement to be made like in their previous meetings, yet with Steph Curry and Draymond Green taking the hardwood, this should still be a thriller on Christmas Day.

Warriors vs Suns Odds

Odds as of Dec 24 at FanDuel

Phoenix just keeps quietly going about its business. The Suns are an elite team at both ends of the floor, led by the incomparable Chris Paul. Books are well aware of this team’s effectiveness, though, with the Suns covering as home favorites in just nine of 17 games. Golden State, meanwhile, is just 2-2 ATS this year as a dog, and they are 7-6-1 ATS on the road for the season.

Injury Report

Golden State has been hit by Covid, leaving Steve Kerr to juggle his rotations. Klay Thompson isn’t due to return until January, and there’s not been a timetable put on James Wiseman’s recovery. Andre Iguodala is in and out of the lineup with knee soreness.

Like so many teams around the Association, health and safety protocols have left the Warriors short-handed. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Damion Lee are all in protocols as of December 24th. That’s the majority of Golden State’s non-Curry scoring unavailable, and Wiggins’ defensive prowess will be sorely missed against Devin Booker.

Phoenix has dodged Covid so far. They are a bit of an anomaly in that respect. Monty Williams looks to have his core rotation players available for this Christmas contest, though there’s still no Dario Saric, who is out for the season, or Frank Kaminsky. The Suns’ size caused the Warriors’ problems in their last two meetings, and we can expect Deandre Ayton to play a major role in the offense once again.

Bridges vs Curry

Mikal Bridges put in one of the best defensive performances of the season when these teams met on November, 30th. Bridges held Steph Curry to just 12 points as Phoenix won the game. It was an immense team defensive performance from the Suns, but Bridges was the clear highlight with his relentless guarding of the MVP favorite.

Curry could never get any space. Bridges locked him up on ball and off ball, leading Curry to be fatigued when he did ultimately take a shot. With Poole and Wiggins probably unavailable for the Christmas Day matchup, the Warriors need a massive night from Curry to stand a chance.

While Golden State won the second meeting, Curry was held to 23 points on 20 shots. They likely need far more than that on Saturday to be able to win the game – this roster is desperately lacking in scoring and shot creation without Poole and Wiggins, who combined for 33 points when the teams last met.

Back the Suns

It would be foolish to write off the Warriors with Curry and Draymond Green healthy. They have much better depth this year, and there have been really promising signs from Jonathan Kuminga with the rookie likely to play big minutes on Saturday.

Still, the Suns only being favored by 4.5 is a bit of a surprise. Golden State is missing two of its starters, and Damion Lee’s absence takes away another shooter. It’s a huge ask for Curry to keep them close in this one.

Of course, that can all change if Poole or Wiggins come out of protocols in time. For now, though, the Suns at almost full strength look like good bet to cover in this one. The Warriors could struggle to generate sufficient offense, particularly with their defense suffering against the size of Ayton at the other end.

• Pick: Suns -5