The Golden State Warriors’ 123-112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday served as a reminder for anybody who has counted them out for the title race this yr. In true Warriors trend, the defending champions confirmed everybody why the title resides within the Bay Space.
With the Splash Brothers main the cost, the Dubs had been off to a fiery begin. Towards the top of the primary interval, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson outscored your complete Suns staff 30-21. When his staff wanted a win, Thompson got here up large with a 33-point first half, his fifth 30-point half in his profession.
“I simply assume Klay’s been in an awesome place now for some time,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “[In] the 2 early Phoenix losses, he actually struggled, confirmed a whole lot of frustration. I do know it felt good for him to have that vast first half.”
Regardless of a boiling-hot begin from the Splash brothers, the duo felt extra like room temperature within the second half. Nonetheless, Curry would end the evening 23 factors behind his confederate’s 38. Down 17 at half-time, the Suns got here again swinging after the intermission, slicing the result in single digits within the third quarter. However when Curry and Thompson appeared to burn out, Jordan Poole was the subsequent man up. With 20 factors and 6 assists, Poole completed what his teammates began because the Warriors put the sport to mattress.
The lacking items for each groups
It’s exhausting to disclaim how a lot of a distinction the Suns’ newly-acquired centerpiece, Kevin Durant, would have made towards his former staff. Durant has been absent since injuring his ankle pregame towards the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Mar 8. 3-0 with Durant, the Suns now discover themselves with out him for a minimum of two weeks when the wins matter most. Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton led the best way with 32 and 27 factors, respectively. Nonetheless, the Warriors proved a bit overwhelming on offense taking pictures 54.2% from the sector and 48.7% from three. With out their main offensive weapon, the Suns had no reply for the onslaught.
Just like the Suns, the Warriors weren’t in full type as a roster regardless of the win. A day after Durant’s pregame mishap, Jonathan Kuminga suffered the identical destiny, hurting his ankle earlier than tipoff towards the Memphis Grizzlies– a sport that the Warriors misplaced 131-110.
The Warriors are additionally lacking Andrew Wiggins, who has been away from the staff for the reason that center of February resulting from private causes. Whereas the previous number-one decide is averaging 17.1 factors per sport, he has additionally been stellar on protection, which shined within the NBA Finals collection towards the Boston Celtics.
“I believe that’s the hope,” Kerr mentioned about Wiggins returning this season. “However actually there’s nothing to report on, so we’re giving him his area as he offers with one thing that’s far more essential than the sport.”
The Warriors wanted this win forward of a raodtrip
With the Playoffs close by, the fifth-seeded Warriors first must embark on a five-game highway journey which begins on Wednesday towards the LA Clippers. The Dubs have struggled on the highway (7-26) this yr, and Kerr pointed to protection turning into the important thing to a profitable five-stop tour late within the season.
“It’s gotta begin with the protection. Our defensive stats at dwelling are actually good, one of many high few groups within the NBA,” Kerr mentioned. “On the highway had been one of many worst. I all the time discuss how the sport has to attach so a part of protection is having [a] good offense in possessions. We gotta join the sport but it surely has to begin with a defensive mindset.”
Whereas the Warriors’ defensive sparkplug Wiggins handles essential issues away from his staff, they’ll nonetheless put themselves able to defend their title within the playoffs. The important thing to doing that is their overwhelming offense. The panorama has utterly modified within the Western Convention, however the Dubs are clearly nonetheless within the image, not simply photobombers.
“They’re a hell of a staff,” Kerr mentioned in regards to the Suns. “They’re very bodily and I believed they took us out of our offense [in the third quarter]. They had been the extra bodily staff, the extra aggressive staff. And similar to we confirmed within the first quarter, the extra aggressive staff tends to have the ball go within the hoop.”
