warriors vs suns preview (Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors (29-19) vs. Phoenix Suns (29-20)
Tip-off: Saturday, February 8th, 2014 – 6:00PM PST
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Spread: Phoenix (-4) meaning Warriors are 4-point favorites
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
Last Game / Streak:
PHX – Lost 122-108 vs HOU in Houston, Lost 2 straight games
GSW – Won 102-87 vs CHI in Oakland, Won 1 straight game
Probable Starting Lineups:
Warriors:
PG: Stephen Curry (24.5 PPG, 9.0 APG, 4.5 RPG)
SG: Klay Thompson (18.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, 3.0 RPG)
SF: Andre Iguodala (9.7 PPG, 4.5 APG, 4.4 RPG)
PF: Draymond Green (5.0 PPG, 1.5 APG, 4.4 RPG)
C: Jermaine O’Neal (6.3 PPG, 0.4 APG, 4.7 RPG)
Suns:
PG: Goran Dragic (20.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.6 RPG)
SG: P.J. Tucker (9.2 PPG, 1.8 APG, 6.1 RPG)
SF: Gerald Green (13.7 PPG, 1.7 APG, 3.1 RPG)
PF: Channing Frye (12.2 PPG, 1.1 APG, 5.2 RPG)
C: Miles Plumlee (9.3 PPG, 0.6 APG, 8.6 RPG)
The Warriors will need excellent play all around from everyone, especially the bench. Harrison Barnes will have to be huge tonight for the Warriors, because they will be without David Lee and Andrew Bogut again. However, the Suns will also be missing an important piece to their team tonight as Eric Bledsoe will be out because of a knee surgery he had not too long ago.
The Warriors should give Klay Thompson the best birthday gift, by winning on the road tonight.
Yesterday at practice, head coach Mark Jackson praised opposing coach Jeff Hornacek and the Suns’ resurgence.
“Hornacek has done a very good job coaching that team, changing the culture and having those guys believe,” Jackson said, “They’ve dona very good job they should be proud of the season that they’re having. They’ve made it interesting because nobody expected them to do the job they’ve been able to do early on in the season.”
Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area Group Writes:
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Stephen Curry vs. Goran Dragic. Curry almost has to draw Dragic, because the other four Phoenix starters are either too long or too heavy. If Curry can stay in front of Dragic, it allows Jackson to use wing defenders Iguodala and Thompson elsewhere. If not, the coach could be forced to put one on Dragic.
Green vs. Channing Frye. At 6-foot-11, with a terrific 3-point shot, Frye is the very definition of a stretch power forward. He torched Lee in the Dec. 15 game, so Andre Iguodala and Green spent a lot of time shadowing Frye in the Warriors’ Dec. 27 win.
Iguodala/Thompson vs. Gerald Green. With Eric Bledsoe out, Green has moved into the starting lineup and is playing well. A very athletic 6-foot-8 slasher with a great outside shot, Green is equally capable of igniting rallies with bombs or dunks.
LAST 10: Warriors 5-5, Suns 7-3.
SERIES HISTORY: The teams split two games earlier this season, each winning on its home court, but the Warriors have won seven of the last eight games overall.
[NOTE: Poor Man’s Commish contributed to this report.]
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