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The NBA’s two best teams will go head-to-head as the Golden State Warriors (26-6) will take on the Phoenix Suns (26-5) on the road on Christmas Day. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. ET. The Warriors are coming off a 113-104 win over the Grizzlies, marking their second straight win after a loss to the Raptors last week. The Suns are riding a five-game winning streak after taking down the Thunder 113-101 on Thursday.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Suns favored by six points at home, priced at -240 on the moneyline. The Warriors are +195 while the point total is set at 217.5.
Miraculously, the Suns don’t have any players in COVID-19 health and safety protocols at the moment, being one of the few teams in that position. They’ll just be missing Frank Kaminsky (knee) and Abdel Nader (knee).
Golden State isn’t quite as lucky, as Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Damion Lee have all entered COVID-19 protocols. They’ll also still be without James Wiseman (knee) and Klay Thompson (Achilles).
Warriors vs. Suns, 5:00 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Suns -6 (-110)
With Devin Booker (hamstring) finally back in the lineup, the Suns are operating essentially at full steam ahead. Booker combined with Chris Paul’s incomparable offensive prowess makes for a lethal combo, and they’ll look to take advantage of the Warriors missing several key offensive players. The Dubs will still have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green of course, but Green isn’t a big scorer and it’s a lot to ask of Curry to pick up the slack left by other consistent scorers’ absences. I’d pick the Suns to win and cover in this one, being almost full strength and playing at home where they’ve only lost twice all season.
Over/Under: Under 217.5 (-110)
These sides have met twice this season already, with each team winning their respective home games. Curry only scored 12 in the Dubs’ loss at Footprint Center while Jordan Poole put up 28. The Suns also held Curry to just 23 points in the return game at Chase Center, and both games ended well below 217 points. Take Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole out of the mix, and this matchup is all but guaranteed to finish under the total for a third time this season.
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