TDG’s NBA DIVISION GAME OF THE YEAR
- Handicapper
- Team Del Genio
- League
- NBA
- Competition
- Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns
- Release Date
- 04/17/2026 07:35 PM
- Event Date
- 04/17/2026 10:14 PM
- Bet Type
- Point Spread
- Pick
-
Golden State Warriors +2.5 (+100)
(BetMGM)
- Outcome
- Loss
- Analysis
- Our 25* NBA Pacific Division Game of the Year is on the Golden State Warriors plus the points versus the Phoenix Suns at 10:10 pm et.
Jordan Ott has done one of the best head coaching jobs this season, turning around the Phoenix Suns. Despite having less star power after trading away Kevin Durant in the offseason, the Suns’ sum of their parts was better than last year because their brand of basketball improved. Ott emphasized getting more scoring opportunities by forcing turnovers and crashing the offensive glass. This team also played the math game better this year by taking more 3-pointers. Yet while this helped the Suns earn the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a 45-38 record, their improved tactics cannot disguise some fundamental flaws when playing the better teams in the league. They only outscored their opponents by +1.4 points per game. They become pretty mediocre if they get stuck in the half-court on offense. They only shoot 45.5% from the field, and their field goal percentage in the previous two months was only 44.6%. They average 112.6 points per game, yet they have been down almost three points per game in the previous two weeks, with a 109.7 points per game. Phoenix has stumbled down the stretch with a 6-11 record. They lost their initial play-in game at home against Portland, 114-110, as a 2.5-point favorite on Tuesday. They have covered the point spread just once in their seven games this month. In their previous nineteen games at home, they have covered the point spread only six times. They have covered the point spread three times in their nine games at home when the oddsmakers installed the over/under from 210 to 219.5. In their six games at home against opponents with a winning percentage from 40%-49% this year, they have covered the point spread only twice.
Who exactly is the Golden State team they will be playing tonight? Will it be the one that limped into the postseason with only one victory in their previous eight games, even with Stephen Curry returning from injury to play in four of those games? Or will it be the team that showed in the fourth quarter on Wednesday and rallied from a 13-point deficit to upset the Clippers in Los Angeles, 126-121, as a 5.5-point underdog? Curry scored 27 points in the second half, and his 35 points came from 12 of 23 shooting and a 7 of 12 mark from 3-point land. Draymond Green held Kawhi Leonard to just two points in the fourth quarter. Al Horford made four clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Kristaps Porzingis played his best game in a Warriors uniform with 20 points in 28 minutes. Horford and him combined for 6 of 11 shooting from 3-point range. Gui Santos added 20 points as he continued to demonstrate his emergence for this team this year. Golden State may only have a 38-45 record. They have been locked into the tenth spot in the Western Conference playoff race for weeks. Yet if the significant time Curry and Green have missed this year has helped them stay rested for another playoff run, this team may be ready to surprise. Those two future Hall of Famers were vintage on Wednesday. If Porzingis can stay healthy and continue to play like he did last night, then watch out. Horford possesses lots of playoff experience as a sixth man. Santos offers new energy. Brandin Podziemski is an unselfish glue guy in the starting lineup. Gary Payton, Jr. and De’Anthony Melton know Steve Kerr’s system and are reliable weapons coming off the bench. Overall, the Warriors’ roster simply looks better than the Suns'. They have covered the point spread in four of their six games this year, following their pulling off an upset win on the road. They are still rested with this game being their second since Sunday, and they have covered the point spread in seven of their previous eleven games on the road when playing for the second time in five days. They have covered the point spread in six of their previous eight games on the road when the oddsmakers installed them as an underdog of up to six points. Despite all the injuries, Golden State has won three of the four games between these teams this year. The Warriors have played eight games this year when the oddsmakers installed them as an underdog with Curry healthy and playing. They covered the point spread six times. Play Golden State plus the points.
Good luck - Team Del Genio.
