The Suns had this one in their hands for long stretches. They led by 17, survived a Draymond Green ejection, and still walked out of Golden State with a 116-113 loss that pushed them to 1-4 and extended their skid to three straight.
What buried Phoenix in the end was a familiar kind of collapse: turnovers, missed free throws, and a late stretch where the game slipped away possession by possession. The Suns were sharp at the stripe in the first half, going 13-of-14, but the Warriors flipped that edge after halftime and finished 23-of-27 at the line in the second half. Phoenix, meanwhile, went 9-of-16.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three, and he was perfect on eight free throws while adding five assists in 34:58. But he fouled out with under a minute left and Phoenix down five, and he managed only two points in the fourth quarter.
Miles Bridges added 21 points, six rebounds and four steals. Dillon Brooks chipped in 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Oso Ighodaro gave Phoenix 14 points off the bench on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting night, and Jalen Green finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Luke Kennard was a plus-15 in 17:42.
Golden State got a huge night from Stephen Curry, who finished with 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 9-of-21 shooting, 5-of-13 from deep and 11-of-12 at the line. Brandin Podziemski added 20, Charles Bassey scored 19 points with eight rebounds off the bench, and Yaxel Lendeborg had 16 points while going 8-of-9 at the line.
Phoenix came out locked in defensively and controlled the opening quarter. Golden State’s starting five combined to go 3-of-14 from the floor, and the Warriors shot just 2-of-15 from three in the period.
The Suns, by contrast, shot 60% overall, turned Golden State mistakes into 9 points off turnovers and 8 fast-break points, and led 31-19 after one. Oso Ighodaro was especially active off the bench, scoring 8 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line.
The second quarter brought more offense for Golden State, but Phoenix still carried a 57-51 lead into the break. Booker had 16 points by halftime, Bridges had 11, and Jalen Green had given the Suns a team-best +10.
Phoenix even stretched the margin to 16 at 55-39 with 3:45 left in the half before the offense stalled. Golden State answered with a 12-0 run over the next 2:42 to close the gap.
The game changed again to open the second half when the Suns announced Jordan Goodwin would not return because of a calf injury. Not long after that, Dillon Brooks and Draymond Green got tangled up in a heated exchange.
Draymond threw Khaman Maluach to the ground, Brooks tried to pull him back, and Green grabbed Brooks by the neck before things settled down. Green was hit with a double technical and ejected, while Brooks got a technical of his own.
Green’s night ended after just two minutes in the third.
Even with Green out, Golden State caught fire. Curry erupted for 18 points in the third on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-5 from three, and the Warriors shot 59.1% in the quarter.
Phoenix couldn’t contain Charles Bassey inside, and the Suns also let the free-throw line get away from them, going 6-of-12 in the period after their strong first half. Jalen Green missed all four of his attempts at the stripe in the third, and Booker picked up four fouls in the quarter.
After three, the game was tied at 93.
The fourth quarter turned into a foul-heavy grind, and Golden State won that battle. The Warriors made only five field goals on 5-of-17 shooting, but they kept going to the line and went 12-of-13 there in the period. Phoenix did win the glass 13-8 in the quarter and grabbed five offensive rebounds, but it gave the ball away seven times and shot just 1-of-7 from three.
The final sequence was ugly for Phoenix. Booker fouled out on a flop from De’Anthony Melton, called for an offensive foul with under a minute left and the Suns down 113-108. That was the last big break in a game Phoenix had controlled for long stretches, but couldn’t finish.
In Other News...
Suns Suddenly Face A Rotation Concern They Cant Afford Tonight
Jordan Goodwins night against the Golden State Warriors ended early when he left with a calf injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Before exiting, he had chipped in four points, two rebounds and two assists, a solid all-around line for a player the Suns brought back this offseason on a three-year contract.
Goodwin has become a valuable piece for Phoenix, which makes any health issue worth watching closely as the team tries to manage its rotation. The Suns need reliable minutes from the players around their core, and losing a steady contributor like Goodwin, even for one night, can quickly tighten the margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Just Reignited A Frustrating Suns Debate
Dillon Brooks latest run-in with the officials came in a game against the Denver Nuggets, where he was ejected for excessive contact on a play he and his teammates viewed as far less malicious than the whistle suggested. Brooks said the contact was unintentional and pointed out that the referees reviewed the sequence multiple times, which only added to the sense that the call was shaped as much by his reputation as by what happened in the moment.
For the Suns, it is the kind of episode that keeps a familiar debate alive around Brooks: where the line sits between his physical edge and the way officials react when he is involved. He will not be suspended and is expected to be available against the Golden State Warriors, but the larger question lingers around how much his style continues to invite scrutiny every time he steps into a high-stakes game. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]