The Golden State Warriors found a way to stop the bleeding on their recent drought as they secured a 109-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
The Warriors saw five players score in double figures and got a riveting performance from Jonathan Kuminga off the bench. Entering the contest, Golden State had not shot 50 percent or better from the field in 20 straight games. While they did not break that cold spell against Phoenix, converting 41.8 percent of their looks from the floor, they played sound team defense and did enough to come away with the win, fueled by seven clutch points from Dennis Schroder down the stretch.
Let’s take a look at the good and bad that unfolded in the Warriors’ big win over the Suns.
Jonathan Kuminga drops 34 points off the bench
Jonathan Kuminga milked every bit of the 34 minutes he saw on Saturday night. He scored a point for every minute of action, finishing with 34 on the game. Kuminga went 12-20 from the field and 2-5 from the three-point line along with nine rebounds and three assists for the Dubs.
The 22-year-old got the ball rolling on his big offensive outing by finishing off of well-timed cuts. He got easy looks at the basket for dunks. Late in the game, he remained aggressive looking for his shot when attacking the rim. Whether it was dropping his shoulder into defenders in the paint or soaring up to the rafters for layups and dunks, Kuminga showed why the Warriors are so high on his potential to be a great player in the NBA. Golden State would not have secured the victory over Phoenix without Kuminga’s efforts.
Draymond Green makes Warriors 3-point history
The Warriors enjoyed three triples from Draymond Green. They all came within a 2:05 stretch in the second quarter. Green shot with confidence and made defenders who didn’t play tightly enough pay for it.
After his second trifecta, the Michigan State product passed Jason Richardson (700 3PM) for No. 3 on the Warriors’ all-time career three-pointers made list with 701. Green’s third long ball brought him to 702.
Green was highly effective outside of his strong shooting from deep. The 34-year-old grabbed eight rebounds, and the seven assists he dished out were with flair, including a no-look lob to Trayce Jackson-Davis that helped the Dubs stay competitive in the game. Green delivered another typical performance, finishing with 16 points to go along with his near-triple-double efforts on the glass and in the distribution department.
Warriors disrupted Suns’ offensive flow
Kevin Durant lived up to his name with 31 points for the Suns while Bradley Beal added 28 on a night when Phoenix was without All-Star Devin Booker.
Yet, Golden State employed varying defensive strategies to disrupt Phoenix’s offense in the half-court. They pressured Beal and Tyus Jones, forcing them to get rid of the ball above the break. To start the second half, the Warriors began trapping Beal and Durant beyond 27 feet and in crunch time, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called for a full-court press. Golden State played playoff-caliber defense on the night, holding the Suns to 42.4 percent shooting from the floor and an impressive 25.7 percent shooting from three-point range.
Warriors need more from 3 of their best scorers
Though the win was much-needed, it could have come in prettier fashion. Golden State needs more from three of their most pivotal scorers in Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Buddy Hield after what they put on display.
Curry began the game hot, finding his shots from long range and getting into the lane for lob setups to his big men. However, late in the game he cooled off. The Davidson product went 6-9 from the field in the first half and shot 3-13 in the second half as the hot hand came and went.
Meanwhile, Wiggins finished with only seven points on 3-12 shooting from the field. Hield could not buy a bucket, as he went scoreless on 0-7 shooting from the floor, extending his uncharacteristically long offensive drought. He and Wiggins are crucial to the Warriors’ success. Golden State cannot afford to see many more performances like that from them both if they want to right the ship and make a Finals run come spring.
Warriors face toughest test of season in next matchup
With the win, the Warriors improved to 16-15 on the campaign. They had lost 12 of their last 15 games prior to. They’ll now look to make it two wins in a row when they take on the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed in the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.