The Warriors head into the All-Star break riding an 11-game winning streak after defeating the Phoenix Suns 112-104 on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry just missed a triple-double with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before sitting out the entirety of the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson added 24 points and five steals, while Leandro Barbosa added 12 points off the bench. With the win, the Warriors advance to 48-4 heading into the All-Star break, becoming the first team in NBA history with that record.
The Warriors got off to a hot start, outscoring Phoenix 17-11 through the first four minutes of the game, but the Suns would score the next six points to knot things up at 17 at the midway point of the first quarter. After Stephen Curry hit a jumper and a three-pointer in succession, Phoenix responded with a 7-0 run to take what would end up being their final lead of the game at 24-22 with 3:40 remaining in the frame. Two consecutive Leandro Barbosa layups as part of a Warriors’ 7-0 burst would help Golden State regain the lead before Phoenix scored the final four points of the quarter to trail 29-28 at the end of the opening quarter.
Alex Len’s tip dunk cut the deficit to 37-35 with 7:52 left in the first half, but then Klay Thompson scored the first six points of a 16-0 Golden State run over the next six minutes to help blow the game open. Morris’ jump shot with 23.9 seconds left trimmed the deficit to 14 points, and that’s how the teams went into halftime with the Warriors holding a 57-43 lead.
Devin Booker’s layup with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter kept the deficit at 14, after which Klay Thompson scored eight-consecutive points in the next 75 seconds to give the Warriors their largest lead of the game at 76-54. Phoenix would cut Golden State’s lead in half over the next four minutes before the Warriors closed the out the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 91-75 lead into the fourth and final frame.
The Suns scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the Warriors lead to 10 points with 9:43 remaining, but that’s as close as they would get until the final basket of the game. Golden State would score six points in the next 25 seconds to end any thoughts of a comeback. Phoenix cut the deficit to 12 points with 1:20 left to play, after which Kevon Looney banked in the first three-pointer of his career on the ensuing possession to put the Warriors up 112-97. Archie Goodwin would single-handedly outscore Golden State 7-0 in the final minute, but the final outcome was never in doubt. The Warriors move to 48-4 on the season with the 112-104 victory, becoming the first team in NBA history with 48 wins in the first 52 games.
