The Warriors get their revenge with a blowout victory over the Suns
The Golden State Warriors were gunning for revenge, and they got what they wanted against the Phoenix Suns. It was rocky at first, because while they opened a 13-point lead in the first half, the Suns kept themselves in the game by getting to the line as they made 15 of 20 first half free throws. The Suns shot 16 free throws in the second quarter alone.
Steph Curry didn’t have a great game overall from the field, at least by his lofty standards, as he made 8 of 20 of his total shots. However, he was lethal from beyond the arc and made 6 of 11 on the way to 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He had some killer help from his teammates, as eight different Golden State players made three-pointers on the way to shooting 19 of 39 from deep as a team.
Curry didn’t have to play at the end of the game, because the Warriors pushed their lead to as high as 27 points with less than five minutes left in the contest. Gary Payton II, who has made an impact this season with his defense, had a good outing on the other end of the floor. He made 3 of 5 three-pointers on the way to 19 points, and 5 rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins, who was dealing with a back issue in the previous game, had a good showing and had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Juan Toscano-Anderson, who struggled earlier this week, had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while making 7 of 8 shots.
Draymond Green had one of the most effective quintuple-singles I’ve ever seen, finishing with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks.
The Warriors were unperturbed with the Suns’ fightback in the first half, and roared back in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 80-68 heading into the final stanza. They continued doing damage in the fourth quarter, and the tide turned for good when Jae Crowder was called for a flagrant foul with 10:05 left in the game. The Warriors pushed their lead to 89-74 shortly after that and never looked back.
The Suns will be disappointed to see their streak broken at 18 wins after losing 116-98, but they’ll pick themselves up. The absence of Devin Booker was probably too much to deal with in an away game against the Warriors, whose 11-straight home wins have all come by double digits. DeAndre Ayton had a good game with 23 points and 6 rebounds while making 9 of 11 free throws. He even had this great assist:
Chris Paul finished with 12 points and 8 assists.
The danger that the Warriors faced earlier in the season was an over-reliance on Curry, and it looks like they’re starting to get more comfortable with each other, especially with the new face that they brought in. It’s a good sign that Steph scored less than 20% of the team’s points against a strong squad like the Suns, but they still won by 22.
The Clippers outlasted the Lakers in the battle of LA
LeBron James came back earlier than expected after entering health and safety protocols, but was unable to lead the Lakers to a win over their hometown rivals. The Clippers outlasted them 119-115 in a closely-fought game. James finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in his return, while Anthony Davis had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Russell Westbrook had 10 points and 9 assists, while Malik Monk had another great game off the bench with 20 points of 8 of 15 shooting.
LeBron definitely had some pep in his step, as shown by this monster jam:
Marcus Morris Sr. led the Clippers in scoring with 21 points, and had five other teammates score in double figures. Paul George struggled from the field, shooting 7 of 20 while going 0 of 7 from deep. However, he had a good overall contribution with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals.
Other notes:
Kevin Durant led the Brooklyn Nets with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in a 110-105 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. James Harden had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists and Patty Mills had 23 points and 3 assists.
Kyle Lowry had another throwback game with 26 points and 9 assists in a 113-104 Heat victory against the Pacers. Duncan Robinson chipped in 24 points while shooting 7 of 11 from the field.
The Hawks blew it against the Sixers as they lost 98-96 after getting outscored 20-9 in the fourth quarter. Joel Embiid finished with a double-double of 28 points and 12 rebounds.
