Curry is the first name to check. He tweaked his right ankle at the Warriors' open practice in San Francisco on the Sunday before the opener, and Steve Kerr said he would be fine and play against the Lakers. A minor ankle tweak followed by 3 games in 4 nights is something to watch, even if nobody in the organization is worried about it right now.
Both teams are missing big men. Golden State is without Kristaps Porzingis, who is dealing with recurring POTS symptoms and, per Shams Charania, is weighing his future in basketball. Charles Bassey is out with a knee injury. Jimmy Butler is still recovering from a torn right ACL, with a January-to-February return in view, and Moses Moody is targeting December or January after a ruptured patellar tendon. Brandin Podziemski missed the opener with a back problem. That leaves Kerr with a short bench in the frontcourt and on the wing. Phoenix is still without Mark Williams after shoulder surgery, and Luke Kennard's knee kept him out in Portland, which pushed Ott down to a 9-man rotation.
Williams being out is why Khaman Maluach got the opening-night start at center over Oso Ighodaro. Ott said he wanted "48 minutes of great center play" and that this setup got him there. It didn't work in Portland, where the whole team fell apart early, but the matchup is better here. A Warriors frontcourt without Porzingis or Bassey is about as soft a test as Maluach will get this month, and the starting five of Jalen Green, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges and Maluach should hold the size advantage on the inside.
Two things to watch: does Booker set a different tone at home after a first quarter like that one, and how much does Curry have left late on a second night with a thin rotation behind him. Tipoff is 7:00 PM MT at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Suns can't make up for 124-83 in one game, but they can show that game wasn't who they are.