Suns vs Warriors Preview: Phoenix Fights to Stop a Three-Game Slide

The Suns are looking to get back on track against a struggling Warriors team.

Dec 14, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and guard Collin Gillespie (12) react after the Sun take the lead late in the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns begin a home-and-home stretch against Golden State Warriors tonight with the first matchup at Mortgage Matchup Center.

Both teams are struggling a little bit after hot starts to the year, as they will both look to snap two-game losing streaks. The Suns (14-12) have lost six of their last nine games and the Warriors (13-14) eight of their last 12.

Golden State got the best of the Suns in the teams' first meeting earlier this year, going up 25 points in the first half en route to a 118-107 victory on Nov. 4 despite a season-high 38 points from Devin Booker.

Since this first matchup, Phoenix has really established an identity for itself despite the recent slump, while the Warriors are still working to figure themselves out.

Grayson Allen (right knee soreness) and Isaiah Livers (right hip strain) are both questionable for Phoenix, while Jalen Green remains out with his right hamstring strain.

For the Warriors, Al Horford is out with sciatica, while Pat Spencer, who has been playing really well as of late, is also out due to personal reasons.

Here's what the Suns will have to do to get back into the W column tonight:

Establish Consistency on Offense

This would rank No. 1 no matter what team the Suns were playing, as we outlined in a recent story that over the last nine games, Phoenix only shooting 45.2% from the floor and 33.1% from 3 and is dead last in the league in assists per game (23.0) in this stretch.

The Suns have shot below 50% from the field in all but one of their last 13 games and are in need of a game where everything clicks offensively.

Golden State will be a tough opponent to do this against, as it averages 9.8 steals per game (third in NBA) and is holding opponents to a 46.2% field-goal percentage (ninth in NBA).

Phoenix found some rhythm in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 116-114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers to come all the way back from down 20, so it will look to carry this over tonight.

Limit Stephen Curry

The Suns have done a pretty good job defending star players this year and getting them out of rhythm, as they did with Luka Doncic on Sunday.

Stephen Curry comes into tonight having scored 48 points in the Warriors' last game and 39 in the matchup before immediately after returning from a two-week absence due to injury.

Dillon Brooks did not play in the first meeting between the Suns and Warriors, so he will no doubt be up for the task of guarding Curry tonight after a feisty battle with LeBron James Sunday.

Curry will still be a tough cover for whoever is on him, and it will take a full-team effort to slow him down.

Win The Turnover Battle

The Suns are the No. 1 team in the NBA in steals per game (10.8), while as mentioned above, Golden State ranks third.

Although both teams are good at forcing turnovers, they are not the best at taking care of the ball on the other end.

Both Phoenix and Golden State average 16 turnovers per game (25th in NBA), so the turnover battle could certainly come into play as a deciding factor if one team can limit its turnovers.

Tonight's game tips off at 7:00 p.m. MST.