Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 25, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

NBA Christmas action will hit its peak on Saturday evening with a heavyweight Western Conference bout between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. Coverage begins from the Footprint Center at 5:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Score Prediction

Suns 118, Warriors 109

Best Bets

Suns -5.5 (-110) at WynnBet

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Predictions

After finishing second in the West with a record of 51-21 SU last year, Phoenix posted a surprisingly stagnant start to the new season, as the Suns opened with losses in three of their first four games – despite being favored in three of those affairs.

The Suns have been nearly perfect since their slow start though, considering Phoenix enters the weekend riding a dominant 25-2 SU and 16-11 ATS run – with 16 of those victories coming by eight points or more.

On the other hand, Golden State jumped out to an excellent start to this season, as the Warriors wrapped up the month of November at an impressive 18-3 SU and 15-5-1 ATS mark – with 14 of those victories coming by a double-digit margin.

December has been relatively shaky for the Warriors though, considering Golden State enters Saturday’s affair just 8-4 SU and 5-6-1 ATS across the last 12 games – despite Steph Curry participating in all but one of those affairs (L, 119-100).

I’ll lay the points with Phoenix here, as the Warriors recent offensive struggles are nearly impossible to ignore heading into Christmas Day, averaging just 106.7 PPG across their latest 12-game stretch – while the Suns stand firm at 10-2 SU and 8-4 ATS across their last 12, averaging 111.2 PPG across that window.

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Odds

• Warriors +190
• Suns -230
• Warriors +5.5 (-110)
• Suns -5.5 (-110)
• Over 217.5 (-110)
• Under 217.5 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Resources

• Matchup: Pacific
• Date: Saturday, December 25, 2021
• Venue: Footprint Center
• Location: Phoenix, Arizona
• TV-Time: ABC - 5:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Golden State Warriors Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 25-6
• ATS: 19-10-2
• O/U: 9-21-1

After finishing ninth in the West with a record of 39-33 last year, Golden State stormed out to a surprisingly strong start to the new season, as the Warriors opened with wins in 18-of-20 games – with their only two losses across that span coming by slim margins of four points or less.

Golden State has slightly cooled off throughout December though, considering the Warriors enter Christmas Day riding a relatively pedestrian 8-4 SU and 5-6-1 ATS stretch – with those four SU losses coming by a hefty average deficit of 10.25 PTS.

Phoenix Suns Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 25-5
• ATS: 17-3
• O/U: 12-17-1

After battling for the conference crown all the way through the final calendar day of last year’s regular season, it was surprising to see Phoenix struggle out of the gate to start the year, as the Suns posted three of their five losses during the first week of the season.

The Suns clearly just needed a few days to knock off the rust though, considering Phoenix enters the Holidays following wins in 25 of the last 27 games, which is a product of an incredibly well-balanced attack, as the Suns’ offense ranks third in scoring and fifth in offensive efficiency (111.8 PPG, 1.080 OE) – while their defense ranks second in both defensive efficiency and opponent floor percentage (1.006 DE, 46.2% FG).

(AP) The Warriors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last four road games.

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Head-to-Head

Phoenix and Golden State split a two-game set earlier this year, with both matchups staying well under the total set for Saturday’s affair at an average of 207 PPG – make note though, Devin Booker did not participate in the most recent of those affairs, which resulted in a triumphant victory for the Warriors (118-96).

Key Players to Watch

• GSW: Steph Curry - PG (27.1 PPG, 5.4 REB, 6 AST)
• GSW: Draymond Green - PF (8.4 PPG, 8 REB, 7.4 AST)
• PHO: Devin Booker - SG (23.1 PPG, 5.1 REB, 4.6 AST)
• PHO: Deandre Ayton - C (16.9 PPG, 11.3 REB, 1.6 AST)

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Conclusion

After winning a fifth straight game on Thursday night, the Suns enter their Christmas Day matchup as 3.5-point favorites over the visiting Warriors – marking just the fifth time Golden State has been an underdog all season.

I’ll lay the points with Phoenix here, as the Suns have been on an absolute roll recently, entering Saturday’s matchup 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS across that last six games – while the Warriors just posted their worst sequence of the season so far, sitting at 8-4 SU and 5-6-1 ATS while averaging just 106.4 PPG across that span.

Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Betting Trends

• The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
• The Warriors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last four road games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the last 11 meetings between Phoenix and Golden State.
• The Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games.

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