Warriors Erupt in Fourth Quarter For Comeback Win Over Suns
"You can't stop us. You can only hope to contain us."
Steve Kerr was only joking when he paraphrased Dan Patrick after his team’s 105-96 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, but it actually served as a fairly accurate assessment of the game. The Suns contained the Warriors for three quarters — but in the end, it wasn’t enough. They couldn’t stop the Dubs in the fourth as the Golden State offense finally broke through and their defense held strong for their fourth straight victory.
After three quarters, the Suns led by 12, but quite frankly, neither their offense nor their defense had been particularly good. They shot the ball well, posting a mark of over 50% from the field through the first three quarters of play. However, they couldn’t stop turning the ball over. On some plays, the Warriors played strong active defense, using good hands and instincts to intercept passes and strip the ball. On many, many others, the Suns simply made mistakes. They threw bad passes, often in transition, and out-of-control drives turned into offensive fouls on multiple occasions. In total, they committed 21 turnovers in the first three frames. As a result, they only had 78 points — less than you’d want for better than 50% shooting.
Yet they held a 12-point advantage. They were giving the Warriors all kinds of opportunities to gain the upper hand and the Warriors simply weren’t taking them. They had shot just 37.1% from the field prior to the start of the fourth quarter. It couldn’t be chalked up to strong defense from Phoenix, either. The Warriors just weren’t executing. Their shot selection was poor on a regular basis. When they did get good looks, they clanked off the rim far too often.
For all the struggles and difficulties the Warriors have had all season, one area in which they have excelled has been getting to the free throw line. They have been good at driving and drawing contact, and they tend to make their free throws upon getting to the line. They didn’t do this nearly enough in the opening three periods. Instead, they settled for jumpers which they simply weren’t hitting. The ball movement was similarly inadequate. Shots were taken too early in the shot clock, often following one or no passes in a possession. The previous three wins in this win streak were driven, at least in part, by excellent ball movement and lots of assists on offense. The Warriors weren’t getting that done for most of the game.
You want to know how a team trails by 12 points through three quarters despite winning the turnover battle by 11? All of that is how.
Throughout the entire game, the feeling was the same: if the Warriors could find any kind of consistency on offense, they’d have a shot to win. They finally broke through in the fourth quarter. They knocked down their shots. They moved the ball nicely and were patient in letting plays develop. They were careful, committing exactly zero turnovers in the final frame. And they finally drove to the hoop and aggressively looked for contact, attempting more free throws in the fourth quarter (14) than they attempted in the first three combined (11).
Their defense stepped up as well. They continued to force turnovers, adding another five to Phoenix’s tally. They rotated nicely, closed out on shooters and rebounded fantastically well as the Suns went cold.
Once again, they performed well in crunch time on both sides of the ball. Once again, the end result was a win.
In addition to another strong all-around game and excellent late performance, themes and trends from the past three wins continued against the Suns. Several different players, led by D’Angelo Russell, scored in double figures. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet. Damion Lee made important free throws and rebounded out of his mind. The team defended the three-pointer well, despite having been dead last in the league in that category for most of the season. And they played a fun game that excited the Chase Center crowd.
On the topic of fun, it was a lot of fun to see Alen Smailagić make his NBA debut on Friday night. The 19-year-old Serbian rookie played less than five minutes, but he made an impact: four points, a tough offensive rebound and a block. He has a long way to go, but he provided a short teaser for his potential as a contributor down the line.
In fact, Smailagić served as a microcosm of the future of the Warriors. Both he and the team still need a lot of time. But if they keep heading in this current direction, they should be able to make some noise in the league.