The Warriors with two faces confirm that they are almost unstoppable at home with a comfortable victory against the Suns (123-112). This is the 8th in a row in their room where they have not lost since February 24. For once, Steve Kerr’s players broke in the first quarter with a boiling Klay Thompson against his “twin” Devin Booker. As Stephen Curry is equally hot, the Warriors escape to lead by 22 points, with a 7 of 9 from 3-point range for the “Splash Brothers”. And from the start of the 2nd quarter, Draymond Green sends a new message with a big counter that ends up far in the stands
Then, it only remains to manage this lead, and Steve Kerr must have appreciated that his players were able to resist the last stand of the Suns. As in the 3rd quarter when the Suns come back several times to -3 thanks to Josh Okogie and Chris Paul (87-84). Thanks to Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry’s shots, the Warriors sign an 11-2 to take off (98-86). The opportunity for Andre Iguodala to prove that he can have an essential role at the end of the season.
In the last quarter, the Warriors are all in control with Klay Thompson who offers a small “turnaround jumpshot” in the middle of the racket (104-90) then offers a “fadeaway” with the fault. Nothing could happen to him that night, and Golden State won without shaking to regain 5th place in the West. The NBA champions have only one victory less than the Suns, currently 4th!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
Missed appointment. Once again, Kevin Durant missed his reunion with the public of the Warriors. The only time he walked the floor of the Chase Center was in February 2021 and that was behind closed doors during the pandemic.
A dream quarter. No ignition delay for the Warriors with 43 points scored in the first quarter on 73% shooting. The “Splash Brothers” struck from the start with an 8-0, which quickly swelled thanks to an unstoppable Thompson by his runs and his “catch-and-shoot”. The bench got level with Jordan Poole and especially JaMychal Green. Opposite, Phoenix signs a 5 of 16 on shots, with six lost balls.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Clay Thompson. He allowed the Warriors to spend a quiet evening with 20 points in the 1st quarter, and 33 at the break. Mute in the 3rd quarter, he delivers the coup de grace at the start of the 4th quarter. His duel with Devin Booker was worth watching.
✅ Draymond Green. His stat line doesn’t reveal the full extent of his impact on the game. While he was doubtful because of his sprained ankle, the interior dominated the paint as rarely this season. He was everywhere, whether it was defending between the ball and his defender, or going for the outside shooters.
✅ Jordan Poole. We found the Poole of last year, who takes his head less and who accepts his role as joker. More involved in the game than in previous matches, he first attacked the circle, which then allowed him to have more freedom from distance.
✅ DeAndre Ayton. He delivered a nice duel to the Looney-Green pair. His good reading of the game on the pick-and-roll, or on the double screen at the head of the racquet allowed him to score easy baskets.
✅ diviner Booker. The only one to play at his true level at the start of the match, and the gap could have been greater without his address. Then, like his teammates, he put nothing in by far.
⛔The start of the Suns. We repeat ourselves but Phoenix took the match lightly with a disastrous start to the game. Most worrying was the “body language” with no communication, unsteady passing and slow running.
THE FOLLOWING
Golden State (36-33) : start of a five-game road trip with the Clippers on Wednesday.
Phoenix (37-31) : new coach with the reception of the Bucks on Wednesday.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
