The Golden State Warriors just keep finding ways.
On Monday night against the Phoenix Suns, they absorbed another early hole, lost Draymond Green to an ejection in the third quarter and still walked away with a 116-113 win for their fifth straight victory. It came only days after Golden State stormed back from 25 down against the Los Angeles Lakers, and this one followed a similar script: trouble early, Stephen Curry taking over, and enough help around him to finish the job.
Golden State trailed by 17 in the first half before Green’s night ended early in the third. From there, Curry turned the game on its head.
He poured in 18 points in the third quarter alone, dragging the Warriors level at 93-93 heading into the fourth. The 38-year-old finished with 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and he ended the night at plus-21.
Curry wasn’t doing it by himself. Brandin Podziemski added 20 points, continuing what has been a strong start to the season for the fourth-year guard.
Yaxel Lendeborg, who looked worn down at times on the third game in four nights after a 37-point outing against the L.A. Clippers on Sunday, still gave Golden State 16 points, five rebounds and five assists while hitting 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
That free-throw line mattered. The Warriors went 31-of-37 there, while Phoenix finished 22-of-29.
In a game this tight, that edge was huge. Curry’s streak of 51 consecutive made free throws ended in the closing seconds, and Collin Gillespie’s half-court attempt to force overtime never had a chance.
Green’s ejection came after two technical fouls early in the third quarter. The sequence started when he pulled down Khaman Maluach after both players had gone to the floor on what might have been an offensive foul. Then came the dust-up with Dillon Brooks, a familiar villain in Green’s world, and both players were hit with technicals.
Instead of sinking the Warriors, the ejection opened the door for Charles Bassey to deliver his best game of the season. The journeyman big man scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench, finishing plus-10 in the win.
Georges Niang also played a major role, posting 13 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5-of-6 shooting. He knocked down a go-ahead three in the final four minutes, another key shot in a game that kept swinging back and forth.
For Golden State, the context made it even more impressive. This was the third game in four nights, and the Warriors were already missing Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody, with Brandon Williams also out. Even with Green gone in the second half, they still found enough to keep the streak alive.
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