The Warriors won their second game in as many nights, earning a 123-116 victory over the Suns on Saturday night.
The Warriors stormed back from a 10-point deficit to beat the visiting Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Saturday, earning their second win in as many nights. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 35 points, including 15 in the decisive fourth quarter alone. Marreese Speights came off the bench to score a season-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds, while Klay Thompson crossed the 20-point threshold for the fourth consecutive game. With the victory, Golden State improves to 59-6 on the season.
GAME LEADERS
Playing their third game in four days, the Warriors were noticeably sluggish to start out Saturday’s contest, but eventually found their groove as the game wore on. Draymond Green was ready from the start, however, having a hand in each of the Warriors’ first 11 points of the game. After Alex Len’s layup gave Phoenix a 16-13 lead seven minutes into the game, Stephen Curry’s first three-pointer of the game began a 11-3 Golden State run to put the Warriors out in front 24-19 with 1:42 left in the opening frame. Curry would add another three-pointer with 34 seconds left before converting a finger roll with 2.2 seconds remaining to send the game into the second quarter with Golden State holding a 31-24 lead.
Golden State appeared on the verge of breaking open the game early after Marreese Speights scored five points in the first 90 seconds of the second quarter, but the Suns would not fold easily. Trailing 41-31 with 8:23 remaining in the half, Phoenix got right back into the game with a 13-3 run to tie the game up at 44-44 at the 4:41 mark. The Warriors managed to make only two more field goals in the remainder of the quarter, but were able to regain a small cushion thanks to several free throws. P. J. Tucker’s three-pointer with 13.4 seconds remaining sent the game into halftime with Phoenix trailing 60-56.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Klay Thompson and Curry doubled the Warriors advantage within the first two minutes of the second half, but their lead would evaporate soon after. Phoenix would respond with a 21-7 run to take an 81-75 lead with 3:31 left in the quarter. Brandon Knight’s three-pointer two minutes later put the Suns up 92-82, to give them what proved to be their largest lead of the entire game. Golden State would outscore Phoenix by just a single point through the remainder of the frame and trail the Suns 95-86 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Suddenly facing their largest deficit of the night, the Warriors displayed some urgency from the start of the fourth quarter, outscoring Phoenix 7-0 within the first minute. Speights’ would tie the game up at 95 with a jumper at the 9:49 mark, and his three-point play less than a minute later gave Golden State a 100-98 advantage. Thompson would put the Warriors up two once more with a three-pointer with 7:31 remaining, but a Chase Budinger layup followed by another Knight three-pointer put the Suns back in front 108-105 with 5:50 left to play. However, that proved to be Phoenix’s final lead of the game. Curry’s three-pointer on the ensuing possession tied things up and began a 14-0 Warriors’ run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach. The Suns would cut the deficit to as few as seven points, but Curry’s finger roll with 56 seconds left iced away the victory. With the win, Golden State improves to 59-6 on the season. They’ll attempt to extend their winning streak to five games when they host the visiting New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.