The Warriors dropped Sunday's matchup with the Phoenix Suns, 115-111
TEAM LEADERS
The Phoenix Suns came to play; and while the Warriors looked to have the game on more than one occasion, the Suns didn’t give an inch. After struggling with slow starts in recent games, the Dubs didn’t hesitate to get this contest going. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant had the hot hands early, each dropping 10 points in the first quarter and Thompson throwing down a huge dunk that had everybody in the building on their feet. That wouldn’t be the first time Dubs had the crowd roaring, but those hot moments weren’t enough to maintain the lead. Thompson led all scorers with 28 points. Durant and Stephen Curry added 25 and 18 points respectively, while DeMarcus Cousins stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
On Friday, the Dubs held Denver to 22.2 percent from the field in the first quarter, tonight they limited the Suns to 29.2 percent from the field in the same frame. The squad opened the matchup with a contagious energy, drilling nine points off of five Phoenix turnovers and hitting 10 fast break points to the Suns’ zero. Dub Nation was electrified by Thompson’s antics on the floor and the game really seemed to be over from the start; however, the Suns weren’t content to be defeated. While the Warriors hit the ground running, Phoenix turned up the heat after finding themselves down 29-16 following the first quarter.
The Warriors went cold in the second frame, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Suns took advantage and brought the game within one heading into halftime. Coming out of the locker room, the Dubs still couldn’t find their groove. Shots weren’t falling, and players were finding themselves in foul trouble. Curry quickly swooped in and did his thing, helping spark a 15-4 run that took back the lead.
Queue the spark that, usually, helps the Dubs run away with a game. Cousins threw it down, Curry drilled back-to-back triples and Oracle was roaring; but the Suns weren’t backing down. They went on a 9-0 run that ultimately sealed the deal.
More notable moments from the matchup:
- The Warriors lost to the Suns for the first time since November 9, 2014 (107-95), snapping an 18-game winning streak. The loss also snapped a 14-game home winning streak versus the Suns, the last time Phoenix won at Oracle Arena was February 7, 2011 (104-92). The 18-game streak marked Golden State’s longest win streak ever against a single opponent and was the NBA’s longest active win streak.
- Golden State won its season-series with Phoenix, 3-1. This marks the fifth-straight season the Warriors have won their season-series with the Suns.
- The Warriors held the Suns to 16 points in the first quarter, an opponent-season low for that quarter.
- The Warriors recorded 30-or-more assists (34) for the 29th time this season and own a record of 25-5 in those games.
- With a capacity crowd of 19,596 Golden State recorded its 325th consecutive sellout, the longest streak in franchise history.
UP NEXT
It’s wheels up to Houston as the Dubs look to pick up a win in their final regular season contest with the Rockets. Tune-in Wednesday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific) to watch all the action on NBC Sports Bay Area and ESPN, or listen to The Call on 95.7 The Game, the Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network