ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — Two nights after losing to the Rockets in double-overtime, the Golden State Warriors (16-3) were back at #Roaracle to face the Phoenix Suns (7-13) for the third time this season already.
The Warriors were without Damian Jones (D-League assignment) and placed James McAdoo on the inactive list.
The Suns were without T.J. Warren (minor head injury).
Q1: Choppy Start
Golden State got out to a rocky start, committing two turnovers in the first two minutes, with the first one a bad pass from Stephen Curry leading to a run-out slam dunk by P.J. Tucker.
The second was a bad pass inside from Zaza Pachulia to Curry, but Tucker missed a left-corner three and Draymond Green brought the ball up and found Kevin Durant on the right wing for a triple on the catch.
But the Suns were hot, with Eric Bledsoe hitting a trey and a pull-up over Steph, and Tucker back-dooring Klay Thompson for a layup, and finally a three by Marquise Chriss before Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took a timeout, down 14-10.
Still, the Warriors did get a few sparks. Green went down the left side for an “and-one” against Chriss, then stole a pass from Bledsoe that led to an outlet to Curry, then a pass to Durant for a streaking dunk.
.@StephenCurry30 to @KDTrey5 on @CSNAuthentic. pic.twitter.com/rqejmz9BGb
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) December 4, 2016
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Pachulia also scored inside to cut the deficit to just one before the three by Chriss and the timeout.
After the timeout, both teams traded buckets. Devin Booker hit a couple, Klay hit a three, Curry hit a step-back, but then got beat on a backdoor by Brandon Knight.
Zaza even drew fouls inside, got a steal and then smoked a run-out layup as Jared Dudley hustled back to disrupt, and with 4:35 remaining, Kerr brought in JaVale McGee.
Green got him a lob for a lay-in, then McGee got a foul on a rebound of Draymond’s runner, hitting one of two throws, then on a brick by Knight, Green led the break and found Steph on the left arc for a splash over Bledsoe.
#Warriors lead Suns 37-30 heading into 2Q — Steph and Klay both with a pair of threes in 1Q pic.twitter.com/e3tPgkSOyo
— Laurence Scott (@LaurenceScott) December 4, 2016
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With 2:01 to play, the Warriors held a 30-26 lead.
Out of the timeout, Patrick McCaw momentarily lost Tucker on another backdoor, then Tucker missed in traffic against the helping McGee, and McCaw swatted away Tucker’s second attempt.
That led to a cut by JaVale at the other end. “KD” fed him and McGee finished with a slam.
After Knight answered with an impressive bucket at the rim against JaVale, Durant posted up on the right side and eventually found Curry open on the left wing. Steph side-stepped the close-out and calmly drilled the three.
McGee got fouled by Alex Len on the next Phoenix miss, Shaun Livingston came in for Curry on the free throw, then disrupted a Bledsoe pull-up into an airball, but after subbing for Livingston, Curry missed a dribble-and-pop at the buzzer.
The Warriors took a 37-30 lead into the second stanza.
Q2: Late Sloppiness
Durant got Golden State running downhill to start, with a left baseline post-up fade-away.
Then Livingston added a jumper and, after a shot clock violation, Thompson hit a triple from the top on the catch, prompting Suns head coach Earl Watson to call timeout as the momentum shifted way in favor of the Dubs, now up 44-30 with 10:33 to go.
But that didn’t stop the bleeding as Andre Iguodala fed David West inside, who ate up Dudley and got a lay-in.
Len tried to dunk down the lane, but KD blocked him…
Tremendous block by KD in 2Q vs. Suns pic.twitter.com/H7bmqPV7U9
— Laurence Scott (@LaurenceScott) December 4, 2016
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…then at the other end, Durant posted up Dragan Bender, up-faked a fade, and stepped inside for a beautiful finger roll past Len.
That gave the Warriors a 48-30 lead with 9:25 left, before Knight bursted in for a layup to break a 16-0 drought.
Knight then tried a step-back three from the corner, but Iguodala got the board, played “hot potato” with Durant and Klay, and Thompson ended with a “hesi” shot fake and splashed home a jumper left baseline.
After a twenty-second timeout, Bledsoe made a layup, then West made two jumpers on the catch, one assisted by KD and the other by Ian Clark.
Bledsoe struck again with a jumper and, after Thompson hit a right mid-post fade over his old buddy, ex-Warrior Leandro Barbosa, Bledse swished a triple and Kerr called timeout, Golden State still up, 56-40, with 6:12 remaining.
Out of the timeout, Kerr brought Curry and Green back in.
West hit another catch-and-shoot. Clark rebounded a late shot clock miss by the Suns, attacked and found Draymond back up top and he fired a trey. The ball hit the front rim and dropped, and Green galloped back on defense:
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Things got a little sloppy with the near-twenty-point bulge, as Draymond lost the ball in the paint carelessly, then LIvingston fired an impossible fastball on a backdoor attempt by Curry.
Meanwhile, Bledsoe converted a floater and Booker got another bucket, which led to a timeout by Kerr with 3:18 to play and the Warriors up, 61-46.
But out of the timeout, Iguodala threw the ball away trying to inbound to Green in the post.
Booker converted an “and-one” on the other end.
Klay shorted a pull-up, but then atoned with a three on the catch after Iguodala boarded a Tucker missed three and pushed the ball up.
But Booker got another and-one, this time an off-balance running banker, and Draymond made a terrible pass that led to Bledsoe leading the break and Tucker getting two tips past Durant in retreat.
Draymond then tried a three from the left arc that shanked, and Bledsoe came back with a pull-up triple to make it just 64-57, Warriors, with 40 ticks to go.
But Curry countered with an up-and-under drive, and Bledsoe missed a trey at the buzzer, giving Golden State a rather uncomfortable 66-57 lead at halftime.
(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @pete_mangnus)
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