The Phoenix Suns ended the Golden State Warriors season on Friday night, defeating the Dubs 111-96. The Suns victory secured the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and sets them up for a first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors, on the other hand, will begin their offseason. The loss will put the Warriors in the lottery, where they will have the 11th-best odds of winning a top-four pick.
For the second consecutive game, the Warriors got off to an ugly start and quickly
gave up control of the game. The Suns jumped out to a 12-2 lead and continued taking advantage of nine turnovers by the Dubs in the quarter. Defensively, Phoenix successfully forced Golden State off the three-point line, as well.
At the end of the first quarter, the Warriors were trailing 33-15 and shooting just 6-for-20 from the field (1-for-9 from three). Steph Curry’s gravity helped the Dubs offense go on it’s first run to start the second quarter, cutting the lead to single digits on a 12-2 run. However, Suns guard Jalen Green caught fire to cut the momentum, a sign of things to come.
Golden State was finally able to cut the deficit to two points in the final minute of the first half, but Green answered with an incredibly difficult three to have the Suns go into the half with a 50-45 lead. The Suns had seemed to firmly control the game, but was unable to pull away.
Neither team’s offensive nucleus (Devin Booker & Curry) found any rhythm in the first half, forcing both offenses into an ugly slog. Green had bailed Phoenix out while the Warriors had gotten the most on hustle plays and cuts from Brandin Podziemski.
The third quarter was more of the same. In fact, Curry looked hobbled, clearly in pain and barely running off ball. His gravity created some spacing for others, but the Dubs remained stagnant. Any momentum they built was killed by another offensive moment from Green, a turnover, or a whistle.
The game was far from over heading into the fourth, with Phoenix ahead 78-69, but expecting the elderly (in NBA terms) Warriors-particularly a clearly compromised Steph-to withstand a similar beating and comeback was just asking too much.
Green single-handedly had an 8-0 run to give the Suns a 14-point lead with seven minutes left in regulation. Al Horford made a three and Curry drew a foul on a three-pointer of his own, but the last gasps of Golden State hope seemed to go out with about 5:30 left.
Podziemski caught a swing pass on the right wing and drove inside instead of hitting an open Steph in the corner. He turned the ball over and Booker knocked down a shot to push the Suns lead back up to 15.
Jalen Green was the difference in the game. He was the only offensive player on either team that was able to consistently score all game. He recorded 36 points on 14-for-20 shots from the field (8-for-14 from three) alongside 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.
Booker finished with a game-best +25 plus/minus despite being relatively quiet offensively. He scored 20 points and added 8 assists and 6 rebounds with just 1 turnover.
Curry could ultimately not find his magic for a second game in a row. Instead, he finished with 16 points on an ugly 4-for-16 shooting from the field (3-for-10 from three) with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers.
Podziemski was the Warriors most consistent performer on the night, leading the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds. It was far from a perfect outing, highlighted by his 5 turnovers, but it was commendable given he played 40 minutes for the second consecutive game (after playing all 82 games in the regular season). De’Anthony Melton had a solid all-around game, and scored 16 points that kept the Suns from pulling away when Curry went to the bench in the third quarter. Still, it was far from enough to match Jalen Green.
There’s a reason the Warriors were so celebratory after defeating the Clippers on Wednesday. They knew this season would not be lasting much longer. Sure, they hoped they could do it again, but they ran out of gas.
Now all attention goes to the offseason for Dub Nation. Will general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. build a legitimate contender? We’ll see.
