Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/30/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

Where to watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Suns: 61-14

Warriors: 48-28

If the Golden State Warriors weren't concerned before, they should be now. They're on the verge of falling out of the top three in the Western Conference, and a loss coupled with a Dallas Mavericks win on Wednesday will make that a reality.

The Warriors, minus Steph Curry, will try to keep pace with the Mavs and it will not be easy by hosting the Phoenix Suns, quite literally the best team in the NBA at this current juncture. A healthy Curry would've given the Warriors a run for their money in this matchup. This time, however, I'm not so sure.

The Warriors lead the Mavs by just one game for the No. 3 seed in the West, which is a far cry to face the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 as opposed to the Utah Jazz. Knowing the Mavs, they'd likely want Nikola Jokic and Denver based on matchup preferences, whereas a healthy Warriors team could care less who they face in that type of seven-game series.

But with Curry out with a foot injury, the Warriors are plummeting fast. Golden State has lost six of seven with their lone win coming against the Miami Heat last Wednesday. Since then, the Warriors have lost their next three games by eight or more points, including Monday's 123-95 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jordan Poole had 25 points on 7 of 17, but being without both Curry and Klay Thompson did not do the Warriors any favors. Golden State shot just 40.7 percent from the floor and an abysmal 9 of 29 from 3-point range. The absence of their two superstars closed the floor greatly while Memphis just ran wild.

"We obviously started a little slow," Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown said after the game in place of Steve Kerr, who was ejected for arguing with the officials. "(The Grizzlies) were a lot more physical than us in the first half. We didn't compete at the level that we felt we needed to coming into their building."

The Warriors were humming along without Thompson when Curry was putting up MVP-type numbers, and clearly we're seeing the impact Curry has on this group when he's not in the lineup.

That sounds like easy pickings for the Suns, quite literally and figuratively the hottest team in the league right now. Having won eight in a row and 10 of their last 11, the road through the Western Conference playoffs will go through Phoenix.

Phoenix is coming off a 114-104 win at home over the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers for their 61st win of the season. Devin Booker, fresh off a 49-point outburst, came back with 35 points in what was yet another impressive victory for the defending conference champs.

"The motivation comes from last year," said Suns forward Jae Crowder, who was part of the Suns last season when they lost to Milwaukee in the NBA Finals and made the clinching 3-pointer to beat Philadelphia. "Making it all the way to the Finals and not achieving the main goal — that's the ultimate motivation. That's all you need. You want to get back there, you want a different story. You can't skip any steps."

There won't be any skipped steps for Phoenix, who should be expected to steamroll through at least one round and who knows what happens? But the Warriors' play to end the regular season could dictate a great deal what Phoenix will do in the rounds following that.

The Suns are just too good right now, no matter who they face. Even when Chris Paul was out of the lineup, Booker was doing his MVP-caliber things and making life ridiculously tough on opponents. Getting Paul back, and playing as well as he has to this point just makes this roster a well-oiled machine that no one wants to face. Even with Klay back, the Suns should be able to run roughshod on Golden State and win comfortably. Suns by 15

The Suns are 38-27 ATS as a road favorite over the past three seasons.

The Suns are 14-16 ATS this season off a home win.

The Suns are 49-24 ATS the past three seasons after covering in consecutive games.

The over is 8-2 this season when the Warriors do not cover in three straight games.

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Devin Booker

SF: Mikal Bridges

PF: Jae Crowder

C: Deandre Ayton

PG: Jordan Poole

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Andrew Wiggins

PF: Jonathan Kuminga

C: Draymond Green

Suns: Cameron Johnson (quad, out)

Warriors: Steph Curry (foot, out), James Wiseman (knee, out)

Points: Devin Booker -- 26.5

Rebounds: Deandre Ayton -- 10.0

Assists: Chris Paul -- 10.8

Points: Steph Curry -- 25.5

Rebounds: Kevon Looney -- 7.5

Assists: Steph Curry -- 6.3