NBA 2021/22 on Saturday, 12/25/2021
The NBA couldn’t give basketball fans a better Christmas present. Because tonight the two leading teams of the Western Conference step into the arena: The Phoenix Suns host the Golden State Warriors.
The last time they met just under a month ago, the Californians had the edge. But in the meantime, the outstanding Devin Booker is back on the floor after a long injury break…
The Suns are looking forward to the upcoming duel. For one thing, home court advantage alone can carry the Arizonans to victory, and for another, Devin Booker is back where he needs to be as an idea man and enforcer on offense.
Let’s start with the superstar! 16, 24, 30 – that has been Devin Booker’s steadily increasing scoring output since his month-long layoff. So the guard is getting into better and better shape and will be present this time compared to the last match against the Californians.
Another significant change from the last encounter is the home court. The Suns will benefit from the strong support of the home crowd tonight. After all, the Black and Violets are riding what has become an almost uncanny home streak.
The Suns won their 15th straight NBA home game against the Thunder a few days ago! However, there is still a long way to go to break the all-time record of consecutive home wins, which is incidentally held by the Warriors of all teams (39).
Speaking of the Warriors: Together with their current opponents, they are at the top of the Western Conference with 25 wins each and are also in excellent shape. After all, they have won 70% of their last ten games.
But let’s take a closer look at why I see the home side with the advantage in this top match. Home advantage always seems to play an overriding role in this particular fixture.
In the last five encounters between the two teams, the one with the home crowd behind them has always won – even when there were only a few days between the games and hardly any changes in formation.
The best example of this is the 118-96 victory of the Warriors at the beginning of the month. Just three days earlier, the Californians were guests of the Suns, who in turn won almost as clearly in their own living room with 104:96.
In contrast to those two games, the Arizonans will be strengthened this time in any case by the return of Devin Booker. Golden State, on the other hand, will have to accept some setbacks in terms of quality.
Because in the last triumph over the Suns, Stephen Curry was the driving force with 23 points. But the two scorers who, along with him, were responsible for most of the Warriors’ baskets in that game will be out this time.
We are talking about Poole, who is ill with Corona, and the Canadian Wiggins, who both have to sit out. In addition, despite the strong offence of both teams, it must not be forgotten that their defence is the real showpiece.
For the Suns allow an average of only 102.8 points per 100 opponent possession phases, the Californians even only 101.4! Those are the two lowest numbers in the entire NBA and therefore tend to indicate a low-scoring game!
Despite the fact that both franchises have won exactly the same number of games so far, a home win is considered about twice as likely as a Warriors win.
A Suns triumph is being offered on the markets at odds averaging 1.45, while the reverse is expected to roughly triple the stakes.
Summary: Both teams are riding a wave of success and even though the Warriors were ahead in the last encounter, there is a lot to suggest that the Arizonans will be able to return the favour this time.
The Suns have won 15 NBA home games in a row and are also happy about the return of Devin Booker, who seems to be getting back on track in his first three games after injury.
On the other hand, the Californians are missing Wiggins and Poole, who, along with Curry, were responsible for most of the Blue and Yellow’s points in their last clash with the 2020 NBA Finals participant.
My Suns Warriors pick is a logical one: The Arizonans win by more than a three-point difference!
