Warriors @ Suns Predictions 5/11/21: Take the home team -5.5

The Golden State Warriors are a tired bunch and that is one of the reasons Zach Rainey thinks they fall short on the road tonight in Phoenix...

There’s a second playoff matchup going on Tuesday evening when the Phoenix Suns take on the Golden State Warriors.

The Suns are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but still hold the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed at 48-20, three full games ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers with just four games remaining.

I love watching the Warriors. I’m an Andrew Wiggins truther, and watching Stephen Curry just put up all of the shots he wants because the entire team, including head coach Steve Kerr, know that if he’s not scoring at least 30, they have no chance to win.

They come off a win in which Curry scored 36 points to defeat the Utah Jazz by three and cover the +2 spread. But with no Kelly Oubre Jr. for another night, I doubt they get another 20-point outing from Jordan Poole again to make up for Oubre’s absence.

According to TeamRankings, the Warriors are the second worst team in the league against the spread at 5-9 with no rest while the Suns are 33-22-1 as favorites.

I’m excited to see the battle between Curry and Chris Paul tonight, as the two have had many memorable clashes over the years. I don’t think the Suns are going to be the type of team to just rest for the playoffs, as Paul will want to see the best coming from his guys before they go into the playoffs.

My pick for the night is Phoenix -5.5 to take care of business on the road and take advantage of the tired Warriors.

For a prop bet, I like Deandre Ayton over 12.5 points.

If someone told you two years ago that the Suns would be a No. 2 seed in the West, you’d assume that their young big man had blossomed into one of the best centers in the league. While I still like Ayton, that just hasn’t been the case on the offensive end of the floor this season.

However, the Warriors don’t have much at the big man spot after James Wiseman tore his ACL, and have put Kevon Looney into the starting lineup. I think Paul recognizes the mismatch Ayton will have on Looney and attempt to get him touches and boost Ayton’s confidence going into the playoffs.

You can get Ayton O12.5 at -108 at 888Sport, BetRivers and Unibet, -125 at BetMGM, and-130 at PointsBet,