Phoenix Suns Fend Off Golden State Warriors Late Game Comeback Attempt
The Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors for the second time this year by a score of 123-115. The Warriors did make a late game comeback attempt to give Phoenix a run for their money but it was too little too late as the Suns huge second quarter gave them a big enough cushion to hold Golden State off. The Warriors season has been somewhat a reversal of last year, as they have started off with a solid road record of 5-3, but have severely struggled at home going just 2-6 so far. To state the obvious, they must be more dominant and defend their homecourt if they wish to make any noise in the playoffs, or even make an appearance.
Klay and KD traded threes to open the scoring up before Nurkic got an easy dunk inside. Klay responded with another deep ball and followed it up with an and-1 a few plays later giving the Warriors an 11-5 lead. Phoenix came back and cut the lead to two after a Booker jumper, but Curry quickly answered with a three pointer. With under three minutes to go, the Dubs boosted their lead to seven after a Saric bucket, only to let the Suns go on a 6-0 burst making it a 27-26 game. Kuminga scored on a strong take to the rim, and CP3 knocked down two free throws to end the quarter and the Warriors took a 31-26 lead into the second. It was in the second period where Phoenix really flexed their muscle. About six minutes in, Moody scored to tie the game up at 40 apiece, and Wiggins hit two free throws to bring Golden State up a bucket, but from that point forward, the Warriors offense was stuck in quicksand. They only put up five more points while allowing the Suns to drop 23, and just like that the Dubs were in a 63-47 hole at the break.
Throughout the third quarter both teams would make short runs, with the Phoenix lead fluctuating between 15 and 22, but neither squad could gain any separation and with one period remaining, the Suns maintained a 16 point advantage. To start the fourth, the Warriors bench unit was in and played well. Gui Santos, Podziemski and Saric took turns getting to the lane for two before Keita Bates-Diop stopped the bleeding with a three ball. With nine minutes left, Kerr gave it one last attempt subbing in his stars. Klay immediately nailed a three making it an 11 point game, but Phoenix ripped a quick 7-0 run headlined by an Eric Gordon trey and the score stood at 102-85. Two minutes later Kerr emptied his bench and garbage time commenced. The Dubs reserves actually made it a three point game with 20 seconds on the clock led by rookies Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis but it was all for nothing as KD and Booker iced the game with a pair of free throws each and the Warriors were handed their seventh loss in eight games.
Klay Thompson led the Dubs in scoring for the first time this season with 23 points on six threes. Curry struggled from beyond the arc going 1-8 from downtown and only recording 16 points. Wiggins snuck into double figures with 11 points but it was really the bench that kept the Warriors afloat. Saric had 17 points on 6-9 from the field, Podziemski chipped in 10, and Moody put up 8 with 9 boards. The biggest stat that jumps off the page is that every Warriors starter had a negative plus/minus, with Klay and Curry at -24 and -17. Conversely, Saric, Joseph and Podziemski were at +12, +12 and +20 respectively. For Phoenix, KD had a quiet 32 points including 15-15 from the charity stripe while Booker had 25 on 13-14 from the line. Booker also added 10 assists and 8 boards. Eric Gordon drained three threes on his way to 13 points while Okogie and Little had 12 and 10 off the bench.
A game after pouring in 21 threes, the Dubs were only able to get 10 to fall last night. In addition, they shot a brutal 19-29 from the free throw line, while allowing the Suns to get to the line a whopping 52 times where they converted 84.6% of them. The turnover and rebounding battle was dead even, and the Warriors put up 14 more shots than Phoenix, while shooting a higher percentage from the field. This exemplifies the fact that this game was decided at the free throw line. The Warriors lost because they gave the Sun's too many opportunities as they committed 12 more fouls. It is no secret that Golden State can compete with anybody, whether it be Denver or Phoenix or Boston, the Dubs can beat anyone on any given night. But far too often, they fall victim to beating themselves.
The Warriors fall to 7-9 after this loss, but will have a few days to rest before a tilt against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have lost 10 games in a row, and the Warriors will be at home with the Chase Center crowd behind them. It goes without saying, if the Dubs can’t come away with a win here, they are in serious trouble. Draymond Green will remain out as it is the fifth game of his five game suspension, which forces Looney or Saric to guard rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama. If Golden State can keep San Antonio off the glass, they should be able to dominate and win this game with ease. I’ve got the Warriors getting back on track and putting on an offensive clinic, winning 131-112 and giving them some confidence going into a big game in Sacramento.