Stephen Curry battled through a strained right quadricep to record 18 points and nine assists. The Warriors held off the Suns 113-107 on Sunday night to win their fourth straight game, and build some much needed momentum.
David Lee was the MVP of tonight’s game with 26 points and nine rebounds; one board shy of his 32nd double-double of the season. Klay Thompson continued his stellar play tonight with 22 points. The Warriors started the game off slow, but surged in the third quarter, and extended that lead to 18 in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but the resilient Suns fought back.
Goran Dragic posted 24 points and six assists for the suns, but Gerald Green was their high-point man with 25. This loss places them in a tie with Memphis for the eighth seed in a loaded Western Conference.
The Warriors have finally gained some necessary momentum. They are 9-2 since the All-Star break and a season-high 16 games over. 500. The Dubs currently sit two games ahead of the Mavericks for sixth in the West.
Phoenix missed a chance to take the four-game season series over the Warriors, and the potential head-to-head tiebreaker for playoff seeding that comes with it. Each team won both meetings on its home floor.
Granted, this game was an exhilarating one, but neither team showed championship poise in the later stages.
Gerald Green’s layup cut the Dubs’ lead to 111-107 with 38 seconds left.
There was still hope for the Suns, but Andre Iguodala came down with an offensive rebound off Klay’s missed 3-pointer, and the Suns had no choice but to foul.
Still, the Warriors kept Phoenix in the game… Iguodala missed both free throws, but more sloppy play from the Suns resulted in a costly turnover.
We’re not done yet… yes, the finish to this game was hectic. Steve Blake did not capitalize on his free throws, but the Suns next play was an air-balled 3-pointer from Marcus Morris.
A quad injury limited Curry’s playing time, but not his production. He was a integral part of Golden State’s 23-4 run in the third quarter.
Mark Jackson really turned up the defensive pressure on the Suns after heading into the half down by five points.
Golden State trapped Dragic at half court leading to several open-court looks for Golden State. Curry’s ability to dictate the tempo was on display tonight, and that is a key reason for his team opening up two sizable leads.
Golden State is currently on a four-game winning streak; they will look to make it five straight this Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks.