The Phoenix Suns (31-20) hosted the Golden State Warriors (27-24) at Mortgage Matchup Center on Thursday night.

The Suns had won three out of their last four, while the Warriors had lost three out of their last four entering the game.

The Suns sat seventh in the Western Conference, while the Warriors sat eighth in the West.

Despite that, the two teams were separated by three games, giving Phoenix a cushion, alongside a chance to get more separation.

However, with the trade deadline closing at 3 PM EST on the same day of the game, both teams were looking to improve certain aspects on the court.

Phoenix went after more guards, while the Warriors traded for Kristaps Porzingis before the window closed.

“We texted today,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said regarding Porzingis. “He’s an established player, the kind of player we’ve been looking for, for years. Legitimate three-point shooter, rim protector, tough to find that combination.”

Despite the trades, neither team would be able to play any players acquired, as Phoenix’s new players were still travelling to the team, while Porzingis was out due to an illness.

“So many moving parts,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “There’s a human side that’s involved in all of it. There are so many things that go on in the morning, especially when you got a deadline or a time. But then that’s the past, tonight’s a tip against a really good team that we have a lot of respect for.”

Despite that, the focus was on the injuries, as both teams were missing two of their top guys.

Phoenix was without Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hip).

“How he reacts to the work the day before,” Ott said regarding Green’s injury. “It’s a day-to-day thing, just staying right with it. Give him the best chance. We’re not going to do anything ahead of time that him out of how he feels in the morning.”

Booker led the team in points and assists with 25.4 points per game and 6.2 assists per game.

“Continue to progress,” Ott said regarding Booker. “He’s trying to push as far as he can on the court without going overboard. He’s right there.”

As for Golden State, they were without Stephen Curry (knee) and Jimmy Butler (torn ACL).

Curry led the team in points with 27.2 PPG.

“He had a workout,” Kerr said regarding Curry. “Overall, feeling better for sure.”

As for Butler, he would not play for the rest of the season.

“We’re trying to figure out the loss of Jimmy (Butler),” Kerr said. “There’s always something in this league you’re sorting through. I think we still have a good team. The ceiling is absolutely lower; I’m not going to sit here and lie. But I believe in these guys and the chemistry.”

The leader for Phoenix entering the game was Dillon Brooks, with an average of 20.9 PPG, alongside Mark Williams who led the team in rebounds with 8.1 rebounds per game.

“He’s the edge,” Ott said regarding Brooks. “He leads us; his competitive spirit has been with us every night, and we feed off of it. It’s obviously led by him, and he’s asked to carry a heavy offensive load, so we need to be there to support him.”

As for Golden State, Draymond Green led the team in both rebounds and assists, with an average of 5.7 RPG and 5.2 APG.

And scoring— the Warriors were likely going to look to Brandin Podziemski, who averaged 12.1 PPG.

The big factor though was going to be the bench, as both teams were down a superstar player, alongside a big name.

Golden State started the first four minutes shooting from downtown, as all eight shots they took were from the three-point line, with four going in.

Entering the second quarter, the Suns had a 29-25 lead.

Brooks and Grayson Allen led the way in scoring, as both had eight points.

Williams, was on track for a double-double, as he had six points and five rebounds.

For Golden State, Gui Santos and Pat Spencer led the way in scoring with six points.

Golden State was shooting the ball from deep, as out of 23 attempted shots in the first, 20 were from beyond the arc.

“That’s still what they want to do,” Ott said. “We talked about it; they move the ball incredibly well. You have to guard the basketball, so they don’t get into the paint, it’s a lot of catch and shoot threes. We got to defend the entire clock.”

Entering the second half, Golden State led 59-55.

“They offense rebound,” Ott said. “That’s kind of who they are. That’s who they’ve been; we just weren’t able to impact enough. Though in the second half overall, we did a better job of, at least, impacting some of those shots.”

Brooks had 15 points, while Allen trailed him with 13 points.

Williams had seven rebounds and nine points and was looking to get that double-double.

For Golden State, Spencer led the way in scoring with 15 points.

Santos was having a solid game, with 11 points and seven assists, while Green didn’t have a single point so far.

Coming off the bench for Golden State was Gary Payton, who had 10 points, while the Suns bench combined for 12 points.

Entering the fourth, the Suns held an 82-76 lead.

Brooks and Allen led the charge, as both had 21 points.

Williams grabbed his double-double, as he had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

For Golden State, Spencer led the way with 20 points, while Santos and De’Anthony Melton followed with 13 points.

Green had been shut out of the game, with only two points, but he did have five rebounds and one assist.

The game looked to be close, but Collin Gillespie of the Suns had other plans.

Gillespie, who only had five points prior to the fourth, helped the Suns go on an 8-0 run as he hit two threes, giving the Suns a 90-76 lead with ten minutes left.

One minute later, Gillespie went down, grabbing his groin area, in a decent amount of pain.

Play continued, but once given the chance, Ott subbed Gillespie off for Allen, but was later checked back into the game.

With five minutes left, Phoenix led 95-88.

“In the fourth quarter, you’re finding any way to score,” Ott said. “You look down; you have six offensive rebounds. We lost the possession game to a team that crashes the glass, turns teams over, we weren’t able to do it better than them.”

With three minutes left, Allen took a weird fall and was replaced by Jordan Goodwin as Allen went to the locker room.

“His knee,” Ott said when asked about Allen.

With just one minute left, the Suns had a 97-95 lead as Golden State mounted a comeback.

Golden State scored a bucket, and after a steal, they drove down the court and took a two-point lead with 28.7 seconds left.

Phoenix called timeout with the game on the line.

The ball found Brooks, but he missed, and after a scrum play, Golden State ended the game with a late bucket, as the Warriors won 101-97.

“Credit to them,” Ott said. “They play incredible defense. That’s what it comes down to, tried a couple different things. Defense obviously got better in the fourth, I thought our defense overall was decent.”

Brooks finished with 24 points, while Allen trailed with 21 points.

Spencer led the way for Golden State in points, with 20 points, as Santos followed with 18 points.

Melton also grabbed 17 points for the Warriors.

“I think it’s just a little deflating,” Ott said “You’re guarding, guarding, and guarding in the first half and then they get a shot up. We have to have an awareness for when the clock is under five or six. There’s only so many option that guy on the catch can really do.”

The Suns fall to 31-21 while the Warriors jump to 28-24.

The Suns host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday at Mortgage Matchup Center.