Phoenix supplied Golden State’s last loss. Since that 131–122 meeting, the Warriors have won four straight, with rookie Yaxel Lendeborg delivering their latest standout performance. Monday’s rematch asks whether the Suns can repeat their earlier scoring success against a team that has found more answers since its 0–3 start.
Lendeborg gives the rematch a fresh focal point
Lendeborg put up a career-best 37 points to go with six assists in Sunday’s 124–112 win over the Clippers. He made 13 of his 19 field-goal attempts, including six of 11 from three-point range. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green rested in that game.
It was Lendeborg’s fourth game with at least 20 points in his first seven appearances. Sunday was another sign of his scoring contribution, though matching 37 points and that shooting efficiency is a demanding standard.
The Warriors also got 21 points from De’Anthony Melton, while Brandin Podziemski finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Golden State found several contributors on a night its familiar stars sat. That support gives Phoenix more to account for than Lendeborg’s hot shooting alone.
Phoenix has already shown a way through
The Suns are 1–3, but their one win came against this opponent. They scored 131 points in the first meeting on October 24, handing Golden State its third straight loss before the Warriors began their current streak.
That result is a meaningful counterweight to the teams’ different recent paths. Phoenix has beaten Golden State in a high-scoring game already, so the rematch isn’t simply a question of whether the Suns can keep up. It’s whether they can pair enough offense with a better defensive result.
Friday’s 127–120 loss to Denver showed the problem clearly. The Nuggets made 20 threes and shot 52.6% from beyond the arc. Miles Bridges led Phoenix with 24 points, Devin Booker scored 20, and Collin Gillespie supplied 16 points and 10 assists off the bench.
Phoenix generated enough scoring to stay involved, but Denver never trailed in the fourth quarter. After that kind of perimeter damage, the Suns’ response against Golden State’s shooters is one of the most concrete things to watch.
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A small spread separates very different starts
The DraftKings spread makes Golden State a 2.5-point favorite. The Warriors’ recent form includes a 4–3 outright record and a 5–2 mark against the spread, with five consecutive covers. That covering streak began with the nine-point loss at Phoenix, when Golden State stayed just inside a 9.5-point spread.
The Suns are 0–4 against the spread. Even their win over the Warriors fell short of the number, making the distinction between winning and covering particularly relevant to this rematch.
The schedule adds context: Golden State plays at home on consecutive nights after Sunday’s Clippers game, while Phoenix last played Friday. The injury update on Gui Santos rules him out Monday with a knee injury after he missed the second half Sunday.
Scoring is available; resistance is the question
The total is 227.5. Phoenix’s last three games have gone Over, as have three of Golden State’s four games during its winning streak. Their first meeting produced 253 combined points.
Those results have clear scoring sources behind them: Phoenix just put up 120 against Denver, and Golden State’s latest win featured Lendeborg’s perimeter production plus support from Melton and Podziemski. A better Suns response against the three-point shot would make it harder for the Warriors to reproduce Sunday’s output. Continued scoring from several Golden State players would keep pressure on Phoenix to produce another strong offensive night.
Golden State brings the more convincing recent run, with Lendeborg adding another scoring threat for Phoenix to handle. The Suns’ earlier win and productive offense Friday give them a credible response. Their clearest route to a better all-around performance is to make Golden State work harder for its perimeter scoring, rather than needing to win another shootout.
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