Once again the Warriors started slow, but went on to finish strong and earned a 129-83 home win over the Suns on Monday night. After closing the first quarter with a slim, single-point advantage, Golden State began to leave their stamp on the game in the second and outscored the Suns by 45 points over the final three frames. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points, in addition to nine rebounds and seven assists. Omri Casspi, who started in place of the injured Draymond Green, recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Durant added 17 points, seven boards and six dimes. With the victory, Golden State improves to 44-13 with one game remaining before the All-Star break.
TEAM LEADERS
CONTINUED DOMINANCE
Monday’s game was the first of four matchups between the Warriors and Suns this season, and if recent trends hold, Golden State will be looking forward to the remaining three. The Dubs’ win on Monday represented their 12th-straight victory over Phoenix, the team’s longest active winning streak against any opponent. Additionally, it was the Warriors’ 100th regular season victory over the Suns franchise. The 46-point win over Phoenix is tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in Warriors’ franchise history and their largest ever against the Suns franchise.
POSITIVE SIGNS
There was a lot of good to take away from the Warriors’ performance on Monday, but two players in particular played their best basketball in quite awhile. Casspi not only did his best Green impression by tallying a double-double, but also knocked down a three-pointer for the first time since December 14th. Another Warrior who stood out was Patrick McCaw, who got off to a great start before having his night cut short due to a wrist sprain. He scored all nine of his points in the second quarter, over the course of which Golden State wrestled control of the game. He also made one of his two three-point attempts on the night for his first made three since December 27th.
POINT BREAK
Golden State dominated most facets of Monday’s game, but that were particularly strong on the fast break. The Warriors held a slight 5-2 advantage in fast break points at the end of the first quarter, but would go on to outscore the Suns 27-2 in that department throughout the remainder of the contest.
FATHER-SON MILESTONE
It seems like Stephen Curry moves up an all-time NBA list practically every game, and Monday’s win was no different. This time, however, he got a little help in the form of his father Dell. With 22 points against the Suns, Steph and Dell have now combined for 26,883 points throughout their respective NBA careers, tying them with Rick and Brent Barry for the third-most points scored by a father and son duo in NBA history.
UP NEXT
One game remains between the Warriors and the All-Star break, which will take place in Portland on Wednesday night when the Dubs make the trip to take on the Trail Blazers.