Basketball | Monday, March 13, 2023 12:39 PM

Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns Best Bet: Warriors Defend the Fortress

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bettingexpert Senior Global Sports Editor

Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns Best Bet: Monday, March 13th

The Golden State Warriors finish up their 2-game home stand against the Phoenix Suns tonight following a 125-116 win against the Bucks. The Suns have won all 3 of their encounters this season, but given the current injury situation, the Warriors are carrying some nice value tonight.

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Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns Preview

Tue, Mar 14th. 02:00 (UK time)

The 2022/23 NBA regular season hasn’t been kind to the defending champions the Golden State Warriors. They have been dealing with a lot of injuries this tear and are now 6th in the Western Conference standings with a 35-33 record. Not great, not terrible, but their performance on the road has been abysmal. They are 7-26 so far as well as 9-24 ATS – ranking them dead last in the league. However, they have made Chase Center a fortress this season and they have been defending it like true warriors. They are 28-7 at home with a 23-11 record ATS (1st in NBA).

The Warriors are the fastest team in the league with a pace rating of 101.9, 106.1 possessions per game and 14.3 fastbreak points per game. Their defence hasn’t been great but they have been ranking among the middle of the pack and considering their injury issues at the moment, this should improve as the season goes on. But they are the 3rd -best defence in the league when playing at home and 6th in net rating. They are just one of those teams, and there isn’t much use in trying to make sense of it – just back them at home!

The Phoenix Suns, however, have assembled a brutal team around the All-Star break, trading for scoring superstar Kevin Durant! They have won 7 of their last 10 games and are 6-2-2 ATS. However, Durant has recently suffered an ankle injury last week and will miss the remainder of the month, leaving the Suns without their 26.7-points-per-game player. They are coming off a 119-128 home loss against the Sacramento Kings, and given their road record, fading them tonight looks like a good idea.

The Suns are 15-19 when playing on the road this season. They are one of the slowest teams in the NBA, ranking 22nd in pace, along with 102.1 possessions per game. Their offence has been very efficient under the command of Chris Paul, ranking 3rd in assists and 5th in 3-point percentage. The Suns are good, don’t get me wrong. They play solid defence, they have some great players and when KD heals up they are going to be a serious contender.