For Chris Paul’s big return to the Suns floor, it was Klay Thompson (23 points, 6/10 on 3-pointers) and Stephen Curry (6 points on 6/15 on shots) who lit the fuse first. While the “Splash Brothers” had accumulated 18 of Golden State’s 31 points (31-26) in the first quarter, the Suns completely reversed the trend by ending the half 23-7 thanks to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and in defense of Josh Okogie (63-47).
With 23 seconds left before the end of the first half, referee Scott Foster gave two technical fouls to Chris Paul, synonymous with expulsion, and another technical foul to Steve Kerr while Paul contested a foul on him!
Returning from the locker room, Durant and Booker hit the nail on the head to increase the gap to +22 (88-66), and while the match seemed to be over at the end of the third quarter, the Golden State substitutes, led by Dario Saric (17 points), restart the match. They returned to -4 in the last minute, then -3 after a technical foul called on Kevin Durant. Fortunately for the Suns, Devin Booker kills the game on free throws to give Phoenix their second victory of the season against Golden State.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Scott Foster kicks out Chris Paul. The stormy relationship between Chris Paul and Scott Foster experienced a new episode last night. When Foster called a foul from Paul at the end of the first half, the latter lost his temper. Result: two technical fouls, synonymous with expulsion for the former Suns leader. The story between the two protagonists is one of the common threads of the last decade in the NBA, with a record of 3 victories and 17 defeats for CP3 in the playoff matches refereed by Foster.
– The five minutes that changed the game. While the two teams were tied at 40, the Suns dominated the end of the half by passing their opponent 23-7. The Phoenix defense caused 9 loose balls from Golden State which they transformed into 14 points. They also limited them to 35% shooting, forcing the Warriors to outsmart.
– End of series for Stephen Curry. For the first time this season, Stephen Curry (1/8 from far) did not score a minimum of 4 3-pointers. His series therefore ends at 13 games, an NBA record to start a season but also for a series of matches.
