The league’s most disappointing team in the 2024-25 NBA season will play host to a resurgent superpower on Tuesday, as the Phoenix Suns welcome the Golden State Warriors.
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and company have been unable to keep pace with a Western Conference Play-In Tournament that’s unlikely to feature them by week’s end.
Golden State, meanwhile, looked primed for that same play-in tournament and another largely uncompetitive season for Stephen Curry until it flipped its fortunes at the trade deadline. Jimmy Butler’s arrival breathed new life into the Dubs on both ends and helped launch the Warriors into the thick of the conference’s brutally competitive field.
With a Western Conference clash on the schedule this Tuesday in the desert, check out our Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns predictions, including our NBA expert picks, with tip-off set for April 8 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Matchup Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns Overview
Teams: Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Win Probabilities
NBA win probabilities use insights from recent games paired with expert predictions to generate a win probability for both teams.
The prediction tip for the winner of the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns is: the Phoenix Suns. The winner probabilities are: XX (Phoenix Suns), XX (Golden State Warriors).
Projected Final Score
The projected final score for this NBA showdown suggests a strong performance from the Golden State Warriors. With their offensive power on full display, they’re expected to pull away from the Phoenix Suns in the second half. The predicted final score is: Phoenix Suns 97-112 Golden State Warriors.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
With a completely uninspiring offense and a shell of a defense held together by the flickering interest of Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors spent the first half of the 2024-25 NBA season in purgatory. Much like LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers before Luka Doncic’s arrival, they seemed destined to spend their superstar’s twilight in a place of good-not-great.
At the league’s trade deadline, however, the Warriors’ outlook changed drastically. In making a desperation trade for disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, the Dubs simultaneously added a new, needed facet to their offense while reinvigorating Green and the defense.
The result is a post-deadline record of 20-3 with both Curry and Butler in the lineup. Now, instead of fighting on the fringe of the Western Conference and in the play-in tournament picture, Golden State is in the thick of a bafflingly competitive seeding battle.
On the flip side of newfound competitiveness and purpose is the Phoenix Suns. While the Dubs have had an inspired climb up the league’s hierarchy, Phoenix has unraveled.
Even before Kevin Durant suffered an ankle sprain, the Suns appeared disinterested in claiming one of the last play-in tournament spots, unable to take advantage of the Dallas Mavericks’ cursed campaign.
Now, in the midst of a six-game losing streak, we are witnessing the dying embers of one of the most ill-fated teams in league history. Can Durant’s old running mates—and former team—continue their positive momentum while putting Phoenix’s campaign to bed?
Why the Golden State Warriors Can Cover
On a macro level, there’s one very clear reason why the Warriors can—and should be expected to—cover here: while the Suns play out the string, the Warriors have had to play at playoff intensity for weeks now.
Such is the race within the Western Conference, with two games separating the Lakers, Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Grizzlies from third to eighth. Home-court advantage in the first round can turn into a must-win play-in situation in just one game—the Dubs can’t afford a slip-up.
On a micro level, however, the Warriors are well positioned to exploit one of Phoenix’s most glaring weaknesses. Despite the mid-season acquisition of Nick Richards from the Hornets, the Suns have never been able to find even half-decent rim protection. Phoenix is in the bottom 10 in the league in paint points allowed per game, at 49.5, and is now without an adequate weak-side defender with Durant shelved by injury.
The Warriors, once hampered by a perimeter-oriented offense, have a newfound ability to stress the rim thanks to the addition of Butler. Over 60% of the 17-point-per-game scorer’s attempts come from within 10 feet, as Butler has continued to become more and more paint-oriented with age.
With Butler’s ability to get to the basket and finish, create for teammates, or earn a trip to the line, Golden State has the ability to manufacture offense where it had previously come up short. In chorus with a long-suffering weakness of the Suns, it sets the Warriors up for a productive night in the desert.
Why the Phoenix Suns Can Cover
Eleven games and a bottomless supply of professional pride separate the Warriors and Suns this season, but despite the stark difference in standing, the Suns are 2–1 against their Western Conference foe this year.
A major reason for Phoenix’s relative success against the Dubs, in an otherwise poor campaign, is the presence of rookie Ryan Dunn. In an unremarkable rookie class, Dunn has stood out thanks to his versatile, quality defense. That defense has shined in matchups with the Warriors and, even more impressively, against Curry.
Dunn’s ability to face-guard the supernova shooter and chase him around in the half court has led Curry to score below his season average in all three matchups. Curry has totaled 22, 23, and 14 points against Dunn and the Suns, and while Phoenix has folded, Dunn has continued to be a menace defensively.
Fresh off a 1-for-10 3-point performance on Sunday night, Curry now has to deal with Dunn’s tenaciousness for 48 minutes. With Curry even slightly limited, the door opens for Phoenix to cover.
Even amid a terrible season, the Suns—led by a high-class, efficient scorer in Booker—have hung around league-average offensive efficiency. They’re eighth in offensive rating and fourth in true shooting percentage.
A below-average showing from the Dubs’ offense, paired with a typically efficient night for Phoenix, could see the Suns cover on Tuesday night
How to Make Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns Picks
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