Warriors at Suns
The Phoenix Suns went 1-2 in a stretch of three straight games against Western Conference playoff contenders and are losers of six of seven as they make their way toward the All-Star break. The Suns will try to head into the break with some momentum when they take a step down in competition by hosting the NBA-worst Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Phoenix looked impressive while knocking off the Houston Rockets 127-91 to end a four-game slide on Friday but fell at home to the Denver Nuggets the next night and was run off the floor in a 125-100 setback at the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. "The size, obviously, was an issue for us," Suns coach Monty Williams told reporters. "They're plus-30 in rebounding margin and it was a direct correlation, but first quarter, it was a one-point game. Came in at halftime, it was right there." The Warriors went the other way on Monday, falling into a 19-point hole at the break and coming up short in their comeback effort after the break to drop a 113-101 decision at home to the Miami Heat. "In the second half, the guys were great," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "They competed, they played with pace, played with energy and climbed back in the game. ... In the end, we didn't have enough."
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Bay Area, FS Arizona
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (12-42): Golden State is using the rest of this season to evaluate the roster and plan for next season, when stars Stephen Curry (broken hand) and Klay Thompson (knee) are expected to return together. One of the pieces the team hopes will fit well with Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green is newcomer Andrew Wiggins, who averaged 21 points in his first two games after being acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves at last week's trade deadline. Wiggins came out hot in his debut on Saturday, going 8-of-12 from the floor, before struggling a bit at 6-of-14 in Monday's contest.
ABOUT THE SUNS (21-33): Star guard Devin Booker, who averages 26.4 points, was held to a season-low 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting - 0-of-4 from beyond the arc - in Monday's loss. "I've been here before, man," Booker told reporters. "It's just one of them nights. I trust myself. I haven't checked my shooting numbers in a couple of weeks, but I definitely bet on myself when it comes to making or missing shots." Booker was dealing with a new rotation for Phoenix with small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. coming off the bench as punishment for missing a team bus and big men Deandre Ayton (ankle), Aron Baynes (hip) and Dario Saric (ankle) all out.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns PF Cheick Diallo scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting while starting in place of Ayton on Monday.
2. Warriors PF Marquese Chriss averaged 21.5 points over the last two games, bringing his season mark to 8.5.
3. The teams split the first two meetings this season, with Golden State earning a 105-96 victory in the most recent matchup Dec. 27.