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Reminder, the Warriors still won’t be at full strength against Suns

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 07: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates against the Toronto Raptors in the first half during Game Four of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors are going to play arguably their most challenging game of the early season tonight.

They’ll be headed to Arizona to take on a scorching hot Phoenix Suns team that’s led by star shooting guard Devin Booker. Center Deandre Ayton and guard Chris Paul both also play large roles on the Western Conference’s second-best team.

The Golden State Warriors take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, and one small reminder for fans is that the Dubs still aren’t at full strength.

This will be the first of two matches the teams play over the next few days.

The first will be held at Talking Stick Resort Arena with the second at the Chase Center. That said, the Suns are 17-3 and have won league-high 16 straight games. The Warriors are on their own win streak, currently at 7, sitting with a 18-2 record overall.

Golden State, despite Phoenix’s win streak, has the best record in the NBA. The Suns have the second-best record in the league, just going to show how high of a level this game is going to be played at.

However, for Golden State, there’s hope on the horizon that they could get even better.

Klay Thompson, a five-time All-Star guard that hasn’t played since mid-2019, will be back around Christmas time. He’s actually slated to return on Christmas Day which is ironically a Warriors-Suns game.

His return will be a huge boost for the Warriors both offensively and defensively. Thompson, prior to his two season-ending injuries (a torn Achilles in 2020 and torn ACL in 2019), was among the best 3-and-D players in the entire NBA.

On top of Thompson’s return later in the season, second-year center James Wiseman, who has reportedly bulked up, will return from his torn meniscus in the near future. Wiseman’s return date is a bit more cloudy, but it should be within the next few weeks.

Both players have been assigned to the team’s G-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Andre Iguodala is also likely to miss the Warriors-Suns back-to-back matchups, hurting Golden State’s depth.

Overall, without Iggy, Thompson, and Wiseman, the team the Suns see now is going to be a far different one than what they see Christmas. So, however, Tuesday night goes, keep that note in mind.

Next. Top 30 Golden State Warriors players in franchise history. dark

This team is only going to get better, and they’ve certainly shown that they have NBA Championship chemistry that those pre-Kevin Durant team had.

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