The Golden State Warriors created an exclamation point for the Phoenix Suns. In the duel between the two best teams in the NBA, Dubs won 116: 107. Stephen Curry is the best man again, but Otto Porter Jr. suddenly appeared in times of crisis.
Golden State Warriors (27-6) – Phoenix Suns (26-6) 107: 116 (BOXSCORE)
The Warriors star provided 33 points (10/27 FG). Setting a new personal record for Christmas (previously only 19 points), but just missed another milestone. With five changing threes (with 16 attempts), Curry now has 2,999 long-range throws in his career.
But Curry also had enough support in Phoenix, especially in times of crisis. When Phoenix returned to -2 it was Porter Jr. (19, 8/13), Who won the Warriors with three changing players and 7-0.
Draymond Green (8, 7 boards, 10 assists) and Gary Payton II (14, 9 boards) were delivered on both ends of the field, and the same was true of Jonathan Kuminga (12), who only saw more minutes during the guest appearance in Toronto. The rookie was an invigorating element and could annoy Suns star Chris Paul at times. Point God scored 21 points and 8 assists, but the old player was already at 16 points at the break. Otherwise, Sun’s points were well distributed again, but Devin Booker (13, 5/19) had some problems with the throw.
Golden State started like a fire department and made the already powerful Suns Defense look bad a few times. Curry tore many holes with his presence, and Greene was on both sides of the field. Phoenix, on the other hand, played extraordinarily sporadically. It only got a little better when the warriors had some reservists in the field. The Suns relied on economies of scale with Ayton and Javal McGee.
Carry Mate Christmas Record – Auto Porter Jr. Handbag
In the middle of the second quarter, the guards attacked the basket more, and the 15-3 lead gave the hosts the lead in the evening. The absence of warriors was now noticeable, and the Golden State currently lacked offensive weapons such as Andrew Wiggins or Jordan Poole. Curry was at times too much on his own, with 62:58 in favor of the Suns going into the cabins.
After the break, warrior novices had advantages again, defense returned to elite level, and Payton in particular stood out with some good action. Phoenix struggled to graduate, especially in the area. With reservists, the Suns regained a foothold, 6 speed meters from Cam Johnson (11) brought life back to the hosts. However, the warriors kept everything open even in the minutes without curry, because, among other things, the rookie Kuminga made a favorable impression. The last section was balanced.
There the striker defended aggressively against Paul, in front of Porter Jr. and Carey met three sets. The lead grew to +8, but when Chef came back to the bench for a moment, Phoenix came in with an 8-2 score. The clock finally struck for Porter Jr. The Suns didn’t have that on the bill. With three consecutive jumpers in the last two minutes, the striker closed the sack for the warriors.
For the Suns, after 15 consecutive home wins, it was House’s first bankruptcy in two months, and Golden State reclaimed the top spot in the Western Conference. Phoenix is now back in two games at home against Memphis and Oak Sea, and will face the Golden State Denver Nuggets twice in the coming days.