The Warriors got back on the winning track with a 128-103 victory over the Suns on Wednesday night.
The Warriors got back on the winning track with a 128-103 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Klay Thompson scored a season-high 43 points, including 27 in the third quarter alone. Stephen Curry added 27 points and four assists, while Draymond Green recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. With the win, the Warriors improve to 25-1 on the season.
GAME LEADERS
On a night in which Klay Thompson caught fire like only few can, he got off on the right foot with a driving finger roll for the Warriors’ first two points of the game. After the Suns had opened to a 9-5 lead, Brandon Rush sank three consecutive three-pointers to put Golden State back in front. Brandon Knight’s layup capped a 10-0 Phoenix run to put the Suns up 21-16 with 2:35 remaining, but then Thompson began to heat up. He’d make back-to-back three-pointers, followed by a jumper to pull the Dubs within two points with 1:15 left in the frame. Draymond Green’s lay-in with 1.3 seconds remaining kept the margin the same, as the first quarter concluded with the Warriors trailing 28-26.
Golden State would open the second quarter strong, outscoring Phoenix 6-0 in the first two minutes, but the Suns would respond with a 12-4 run of their own to take a 40-36 lead at the exact midway point of the frame. After two Draymond Green free throws, Brandon Knight’s jumper put the Suns up 42-38, which turned out to be their final lead of the game. From there, the Warriors would take the game over, following the lead of the Splash Brothers. After Klay Thompson’s back-to-back three-pointers had regained the lead, Curry put on a show to turn a close game into a blowout in the blink of an eye. The reigning MVP scored or assisted each of the Warriors final four baskets of the quarter, three of which were three-pointers, to send the game into halftime with Golden State holding a comfortable 59-46 lead.
The Warriors brought their hot shooting into the second half, as the Dubs went on a third quarter run to put the game out of reach. Curry and Thompson would combine for all of the Warriors points in a 11-3 run within the first 2:45 to push Golden State’s lead to 70-49. Tyson Chandler’s dunk more than two minutes later would cut the deficit to 20, just as Thompson began to steal the show. His three-pointer on the ensuing possession began a streak in which he would score 20 of the Warriors’ next 24 points, including 10 in a row in a span of less than two minutes. Festus Ezeli’s dunk with 14.8 seconds left would conclude the scoring in the frame and give the Warriors a 105-65 lead heading into the fourth. In 12 third quarter minutes, Thompson accounted for a total of 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
With a 40-point lead, Luke Walton pulled the starters from the game and let his bench round out the eventual victory. After Phoenix had cut the deficit to 112-78, Andre Iguodala and Marreese Speights combined for all of the Warriors’ points as part of a 9-4 run to put an end to any thoughts of a legendary comeback. The Suns would respond with a 21-5 run, but they had dug themselves far too deep a hole to climb out of. Speights’ free throws in the final seconds put the final touches on a Warriors’ 128-103 victory. With the win, the Warriors advance to 25-1 on the season. They’ll look to start another winning streak when they host the Milwaukee Bucks at Oracle Arena on Friday night.