Phoenix @ Golden State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 30, 2019 ) Phoenix 121, Golden State 110

The Golden State Warriors are red hot all of a sudden, with advanced scouting reports and defensive execution making up for an injury-induced talent gap. The Warriors will try to extend their season-best winning streak to four in a row when they host the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Golden State knocked off struggling Western Conference foes New Orleans and Minnesota to pick up its first set of back-to-back victories before stepping up on Christmas Day and stifling James Harden and the Houston Rockets in a 116-104 victory. "The best thing we did was not foul him," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Harden, who averages a league-high 12.4 free-throw attempts but took just one on Wednesday. "You know, one free throw. And after the first quarter, we didn't foul (Russell) Westbrook much, either. And so that kept the game going and it allowed us to play in open space, because their defense is really good in the half court, so the tempo was right for us." The Suns are streaking in the opposite direction with losses in seven straight games and are kicking off a four-game road trip at Golden State after getting three full days off around the holiday. "I think we're learning a lot in our losses," Suns guard Devin Booker told reporters. "I think it's going to be a good part of the season to finally regroup, look back on this moment and look at the lessons that we learned."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Arizona (Phoenix), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE SUNS (11-19): Four of the seven losses during the current slide came by seven or fewer points and three were by two or fewer, including Monday's 113-111 home loss to the Denver Nuggets. "Usually people want to look down the stretch at a crazy incident that happened, a turnover or a missed shot, when really every possession matters in this game," Booker told reporters. "It's hard to just pinpoint one or two things. You can look at 50 things you could do better in a game." The slide coincides with a decrease in scoring from Booker, who missed three of the games due to injury and averaged 15.8 points on 37.5 percent shooting in the other four.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (8-24): Long-term injuries to Stephen Curry (broken hand) and Klay Thompson (knee) are forcing Golden State to find new offensive options on a nightly basis, and Damion Lee stepped up with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds on Wednesday. Lee, who is on a two-way contract and already used up 30 of his 45 days with the Warriors, is going to continue to play a big role until the team is forced to return him to the G League. "We are going to continue to start Damion," Kerr told reporters. "We've been in a decent groove the last couple of weeks offensively. We like the spacing that he provides. There is no scientific or analytic formula or anything that is telling us to do so. It's just more feel."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors PFs Kevon Looney (abdominal) and Eric Paschall (hip) are both day-to-day.

2. Suns C Deandre Ayton (ankle) sat out his third straight game Monday and is questionable.

3. Phoenix earned a 121-110 win at Golden State on Oct. 30 behind 31 points from Booker.

PREDICTION: Warriors 112, Suns 108