Warriors Push Back Against Dillon Brooks and the Suns, Showing Signs of Life in the Fight
SAN FRANCISCO - Jimmy Butler didn’t need to say much. His actions spoke loud and clear.
Midway through a physical battle with the Suns, Butler bulldozed through Dillon Brooks in the paint, muscling him off his spot before floating in a runner. The ball dropped softly through the net, bounced back into Butler’s hands - and then, with just the right amount of edge, he fired it into Brooks’ chest. Not enough for a whistle, but more than enough to make a point.
That moment wasn’t just about Brooks. It was about everything the Warriors have been dealing with lately - the losing streaks, the late-game collapses, the questions about whether this team still has the fight to matter in a loaded Western Conference. And Brooks, as he often does, found himself in the middle of it all.
The Warriors and Suns had just wrapped up a bruising two-game set, and Brooks had been the face of the chaos. He came out hot in Phoenix, then delivered a gut shot - literally - to Steph Curry, catching the two-time MVP in the midsection as he landed from a three-point attempt.
No ejection. No suspension.
Just pain, and a one-point loss for Golden State that stung more than most.
So when Brooks showed up in the Bay on Saturday, the Warriors had a choice: respond or retreat.
They chose to respond.
“Of course you’re upset,” Steve Kerr said after the Warriors’ 119-116 win. “This is a guy who broke Gary’s elbow in the playoffs.
Clotheslined him. One of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen.
And now he punches Steph and nothing happens? No ejection, no fine, no suspension.
I don’t even know what replay is for if that’s not enough.”
Kerr didn’t hold back. And neither did his team.
This wasn’t a perfect performance - far from it. The Warriors still looked shaky at times.
Draymond Green got tossed early with two quick technicals. The turnovers piled up.
They missed open looks. They gave up a wide-open corner three to Collin Gillespie in the final minute that could’ve flipped the game.
But Gillespie missed, and that was enough.
Because what mattered most Saturday night wasn’t just the final score - it was the fight.
Brooks came out blazing again, hitting his first five shots and scoring 12 of his 22 points in the opening quarter. He barked at the Chase Center crowd, tried to intimidate ballhandlers, and did everything he could to rattle a Warriors team that has looked vulnerable lately - especially against young, athletic teams that spread them out and attack off the dribble.
But this time, the Warriors didn’t flinch.
“I didn’t need to make a point,” Butler said afterward with a smirk. He didn’t have to. The message was already sent.
This team has been teetering. Three straight fourth-quarter meltdowns had them staring at the edge. They’ve been looking for answers, searching for consistency, trying to hold things together while waiting for reinforcements or a possible trade to shake things up.
And Brooks? He became the perfect symbol of what they’re up against - a physical, relentless agitator who forces you to stand your ground or get buried.
Saturday, they stood their ground.
It wasn’t just Butler. It was Steph Curry, too - not just with his shooting, but with his defense.
When Devin Booker started hunting him in switches, Curry didn’t shy away. He leaned into the challenge.
Booker still got buckets - he shot 5-for-7 with Curry guarding him - but they were hard-earned.
“My goal is to not give up any blow-bys,” Curry said. “If he’s scoring in the midrange and we’re making him work for it, that plays into our hands.
Yeah, it takes a toll on you offensively, but I like the challenge. It feels like the playoffs.
You’ve got to do both at a high level. No shortcuts.”
That’s the mindset the Warriors need right now. The plan was never to be scrapping this hard before Christmas. The addition of Butler, the growth of young guys like Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody, the veteran presence of Al Horford and DeAnthony Melton - all of it was supposed to stabilize things.
But here they are again, deep in the grind. No cushion.
No margin for error. Just urgency.
And that urgency is starting to show.
Butler, who poured in 56 points across the two games against Phoenix, was asked why he turned up the aggression. He paused, maybe thinking about giving the polished answer.
Then he leaned in.
“I got the ball more,” he said. “If we’re being brutally honest.”
That’s what desperation does. It strips away the fluff.
It demands clarity. And right now, the Warriors are in a place where every possession matters, every defensive stand counts, and every game feels like a referendum on whether this core still has another run left in it.
Beating Phoenix didn’t solve everything. But it was a step.
A sign that this team still has some fight. That they’re not ready to be pushed around - by Brooks, or by anyone else.
And if they can channel that edge consistently, the season might still have some life left in it.