Not long ago, a game between Phoenix and Golden State was sure
to be an offensive explosion. But Thursday night showed just how
different the Warriors are this season. They didn’t have enough
firepower to keep up with the Suns, losing, 107-101.
OAKLAND
Not long ago, a game between Phoenix and Golden State was sure to be an offensive explosion.
But Thursday night showed just how different the Warriors are this season. They didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with the Suns, losing, 107-101.
Golden State (8-11) got 38 points and seven assists from guard Monta Ellis. Forward David Lee had 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
But the Warriors, as a team, couldn’t muster enough points against the worst defense in the NBA. The Suns (9-9) came in giving up a league-high 111.9 points per game. Golden State needed a meaningless basket in the final seconds, when the game was already decided, just to crack triple digits.
Though he had seven assists, point guard Stephen Curry finished with just nine points on 4-for-10 shooting. Small forward Dorell Wright was 4 for 13 from the field, including 2 of 7 from 3-point range.
The Warriors have lost seven of their last eight games.
Former Warriors guard Jason Richardson led Phoenix with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting. Point guard Steve Nash had 13 points and 16 assists. Grant Hill missed just two of 11 shots for 24 points.
Also, the Warriors’ bench was outscored by the Suns’ bench 33-15.
With Nash on the bench, the Suns opened the fourth quarter with an 18-7 run. Backup point guard Goran Dragic and forward Jared Dudley combined for 13 points during the run. A turnover by Curry and his subsequent foul led to a three-point play by Dudley that put the Warriors down 93-79 with just under seven minutes left.
Golden State responded with a 10-0 run, which Ellis started with two free throws and ended by driving and finding Rodney Carney for a 3-pointer. Just like that, the Warriors were within four.
At the 3:40 mark, a 3-pointer by Wright had the Warriors within 95-92. Golden State had a chance to get closer, but after Ellis missed two free throws, Nash made a pair. And after Lee missed an open jumper, Suns center Channing Frye drew a foul in the post and netted two free throws.
Just like that, the Warriors were down by seven again. They didn’t quite have enough firepower to get back in it.
And, for good measure, Richardson swished a fadeaway jumper at the shot-clock buzzer over Ellis.
The Warriors trailed 52-49 at halftime. Their offense wasn’t exactly struggling, shooting 46.7 percent and racking up 15 assists on 21 baskets. But it wasn’t on pace with the Suns.
Phoenix—led by Nash who had 11 assists at the half—shot 56.4 percent in the first two quarters. Richardson and Hill combined for 28 points on 12-for-16 shooting as Phoenix built a lead as large as 11.
As a team, the Warriors offense wasn’t much better in the third quarter. But Ellis was.
He found Andris Biedrins for a layup at the 4:25 mark of the quarter, tying the game at 66. At that point, Ellis had contributed 13 of the Warriors’ 17 points in the period, 11 he scored himself.
The Warriors, however, weren’t able to cut into the deficit. Despite Ellis’ 13 points in the quarter, Golden State managed to break even in the third and entered the fourth down 75-72.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
