Suns offense vs. Warriors defense
The Suns currently rank 5th in the league in offensive rating and 3rd in the league in points per game. The Warriors currently rank 1st in the league in defensive rating and 1st in the league in opponent’s points per game.
This is not to say that the script cannot be flipped and that we should be paying attention to the Warriors’ offense versus the Suns’ defense, but this matchup between Phoenix attacking Golden State’s defense is going to be very telling of which team still has work to do.
One game definitely does not decide the fate of either of these teams this season, but this is definitely a matchup that we could and will see in the playoffs this year. During their 16-game win streak, the Suns’ offense has been “red hot” and pretty much since the start of the season, the Warriors’ defense has been impenetrable at times.
Phoenix is currently averaging 114.2 points per game, which alone would rank at the top of the league in scoring, and they have scored over 100 points in 18 of their 20 games this season. Golden State has only allowed an average of 97.6 points per game over their last seven games and they have held their opponents under 100 points in 9 of their 20 games this season.
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The Warriors’ 99.2 points allowed per 100 possessions is a remarkable number in the league today and is by far the highest mark in the NBA by almost 3 points! This may not seem like a big difference, but their defensive numbers are far better than anybody else’s in the league.
How the Suns decide to try and attack this stout Warriors’ defense is going to be very intriguing to watch, especially since they do have some advantageous mismatches, starting with how they play through Deandre Ayton.
The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 15.4 points per game on the season, second-best on the team, and is averaging about 13.0 points in the paint per game, the 5th best mark in the NBA. While they are a smaller team and do not really have a true big man like the Suns, the Warriors are only allowing a league-best 39.6 points per game in the paint to their opponents.
Whoever is matched up on Ayton, whether it is a double-team on the catch or dribble, it will be very interesting to see how head coach Monty Williams looks to exploit this Warriors’ defense.
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Will he get them to collapse upon themselves in the paint by getting the ball into the low-post with Ayton or will he look to utilize both Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the drive, causing Golden State’s defense to rise and leave Ayton open underneath for easy dump-offs/alley-oop attempts?
Both teams are so sound on both ends of the court, which should make for a very steady battle in the trenches all night long.
