Despite the absences of Bradley Beal and Draymond Green, this Warriors – Suns kept all its promises with two teams in progress but which showed certain potential with their newcomers, Chris Paul (14 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds as starter ) and Jusuf Nurkic (14 points 14 rebounds).
For this duel between two contenders for the Nuggets’ crown in the West, it’s Devin Booker who draws first. Ultra aggressive, he scored 15 of his team’s first 24 points to put Phoenix at +12 (24-12). Two award-winning shots from Stephen Curry (27 points) revive Golden State but it is the entries of Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, Dario Saric, and Gary Payton II which allow the Warriors to pick up the score (24-24).
With Chris Paul at the helm, the second five continued their momentum and signed a 23-6 which put Golden State at +5 (35-30). The return of Devin Booker and chronic clumsiness from Golden State (6/27 in the 2nd quarter) give the Suns the opportunity to widen the gap again. Frank Vogel’s gang ends the half with a 23-8, with a 2+1 from Okogie, and a 3+1 from Durant to return to the locker room at +15 (61-46).
The Warriors yo-yo
Dominated in all areas of the game so far, the Dubs showed a different face to start the third quarter. Seven points from Stephen Curry and an ugly 1/10 on shots from Phoenix once again balance the match (64-61). The Suns continue to lose balls, and Chris Paul makes a comeback on the other side to drive home the point and put the Warriors in front (73-66). It takes all the grit of Josh Okogie to keep Phoenix in ambush (86-80).
The Suns, thanks to Kevin Durant (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Yuta Watanabe, took advantage of Stephen Curry’s fifth foul at the start of the last quarter, to regain the advantage thanks to an 11-0 (91-88) . The two defenses then take the upper hand to offer us a breathtaking end to the match. It’s Devin Booker who will make the difference. He scores 7 points in a row to put Phoenix at +4, before chaining three assists for Josh Okogie then Eric Gordon at 3-points, before finding Jusuf Nurkic in the racket to offer victory to Phoenix.
TO REMEMBER
– Irregular Warriors. After a disappointing first half, especially from their starting five, the Warriors brought out their traditional third quarter to reverse the trend. As always, it was first and foremost through defense that Golden State managed to revive itself. They limited Phoenix to 29% shooting and caused six lost balls to pass them a 41-19 behind 21 points from the Curry – Paul duo. The Warriors unfortunately fell back into their ways at the end of the match, leaving key offensive rebounds to their opponent.
– Devin Booker, Suns point guard. After the departure of Chris Paul and the arrival of Bradley Beal, the Suns promoted Devin Booker as playmaker. He started the game with the intention of scoring (15 of his 32 points in the first quarter) , he then served his partners especially at the end of the match. He ended the game with three assists to use the attention he generated to find his partners behind the defense.
– Standing ovation for Kevin Durant. Four years after his departure from Golden State, Kevin Durant played that night for the first time in a sold-out Chase Center. During his last visit, in the Nets jersey, the Chase Center was empty due to Covid-19 and at every other opportunity over the last three seasons, the former number 35 of the Warriors was injured. The Bay franchise, with which Durant reached three NBA Finals, won two titles, and two Finals MVP trophies, had pulled out all the stops to welcome its former player. A video in his honor was broadcast on the giant screen before the match, followed by a well-deserved standing ovation.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
