The last time the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors met, the Suns got the Warriors’ backups. Steve Kerr rested Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Brandin Podziemski on the second night of a back-to-back, and Devin Booker went berserk. He dropped 43 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 131-122 Phoenix win that dropped Golden State to 0-3, its worst start in almost two decades. He set a Suns record for points in a home opener, a historic performance against a limping Warriors squad.
Let’s see what he does tonight. But for those who haven’t been following Suns basketball, here’s a quick refresher for you this season.
Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
When: November 2nd, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT
Where: Chase Center
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: 95.7 The Game
- Opening night was a disaster. Portland jumped out to a 21-0 lead and won 124-83, with Phoenix trailing by as many as 52. Damian Lillard scored 25 in his Blazers return. That’s the seventh-largest margin in opening-night history,.
- Then came the big game against GSW. After scoring 43, Booker said the bench had more chemistry than his own starting group.
- Since then, two more losses. Phoenix lost 125-114 in Oklahoma City and 127-120 at home to Denver. Through four games, the Suns rank dead last in defensive rating at 126.3 points allowed per 100 possessions. Their offense sits right in the middle at 15th. SI’s Suns site summed up the start in one word: consistency.
- How they play. Phoenix runs at the fourth-slowest pace in the league and ranks near the top in pull-up points. Translation: lots of Booker and Green creating their own shots late in the clock. When those shots fall, the Suns can beat anyone. When they don’t, you get Portland. That’s a tough formula against Golden State, which leads the league in threes made and passes per game. The Warriors will move the ball until Phoenix’s league-worst defense breaks somewhere, while Booker has to manufacture tough looks possession after possession.
- Who’s missing. Mark Williams is out after surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Oso Ighodaro, who missed the first meeting, is available this time.
On the other side, the Warriors (4-3) haven’t lost since Phoenix. Curry and Green sat Sunday’s 124-112 win over the Clippers and are expected back tonight. Curry scored 99 points over the three wins before that, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg dropped 37 on the Clippers. Golden State is still without Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis and Gui Santos, but this group has proven it can win while shorthanded.
The Suns have real talent and a star who can win a game by himself. But let’s see if he can put the team on his back again against a Warriors lineup that will be more fortified than in these two teams’ last battle. Phoenix got its only win of the season against a Warriors team without Steph and Draymond. Tonight it has to earn one against both of them, plus a rookie who’s been playing like a headliner since the last time these teams met.
