The Warriors’ latest win came with the kind of chaos that has become familiar whenever Draymond Green is involved, but it also gave Charles Bassey a chance to step into the spotlight.
Golden State beat the Phoenix Suns 116-113 after Green was ejected for the first time this season in the early part of the third quarter. He pulled Khaman Maluach to the floor, then shoved Dillon Brooks, drawing two technicals and the 23rd ejection of his NBA career. The Warriors were already trailing at halftime, but they still found a way to finish the job.
Bassey ended up playing a much bigger part in that comeback once Green was gone, and Georges Niang made sure to point out just how important he was afterward. Speaking to NBC Bay Area, Niang said: “He was ready.
Yeah, he was phenomenal. I mean, that kid’s been champing at the bit to get his opportunity, and he took full advantage of it.”
Niang didn’t stop there. He added: “We needed him tonight.
We needed every last point that he gave us, and every rebound. He was phenomenal.
So, credit to him.
“He’s prepared a long time for this, and he deserves the glory tonight.”
Bassey backed up that praise with the best scoring night of his NBA career. He finished with 19 points in 23 minutes, helping Golden State push past Phoenix and extend its winning streak to five games.
His line was efficient, too: 7-10 from the field and 5-6 at the free-throw line, plus eight rebounds. For a player averaging 11.3 minutes and 6.8 points per game this season, it was the kind of outing that can change how a team views his role.
Before the season, Al Horford had already praised Bassey, and now the big man is starting to settle in with a Warriors group that clearly trusted him when the game tightened up.
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Draymond Green Added Another Ugly Twist To Suns Warriors Rivalry
The Warriors-Suns rivalry picked up another nasty edge on Tuesday night, and Draymond Green was right in the middle of it. Early in the third quarter, Green got tangled up in a physical sequence that spilled into a confrontation with Dillon Brooks, turning a tense game into one of those moments that instantly feels bigger than the box score.
Green was assessed a double technical foul and ejected after dragging teammate Khaman Maluach to the floor, a sequence that only added to the bad blood between two teams that rarely need much help finding it. Golden State still held on for a 116-113 win, stretching its streak to five, but the lasting image for Suns fans was the latest ugly twist in a matchup that keeps finding new ways to boil over. [Read more 🡒]