The 7th seeded Phoenix Suns hosted the 10th seeded Golden State Warriors in a win or go home game at Mortgage Matchup Center Friday.
The Suns were coming off an 114-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers while the Warriors were coming off a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
The job was simple.
The winner would clinch the 8th seed and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs while the loser would be eliminated.
“We had the desperation the other night,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “I think anytime you’re in this competitive environment, when you know the stakes going into it, those possessions are incredibly valuable. Everyone’s well aware what it means to win.”
Even though the Suns had missed out on the 7th seed, they still had a chance to clinch a spot in the NBA Playoffs against a divisional opponent.
“Got to maintain it,” Ott said regarding the team’s composure. “Having the mental stamina to overcome the highs and lows of every one of these Play-In games. We’ve seen it on TV; we were through it. Got to have composure all night.”
The Suns had Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot) on Game-Time Decision.
“I think Grayson (Allen) is one of our best offensive players,” Ott said. “His ability to impact our offense whether he has the ball or not, and I think he’s taking huge stride with the basketball this year as a playmaker, so he has it all.”
As for the Warriors, they were without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Quentin Post (foot), while Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) was on GTD.
“I hope so,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said regarding Porzingis’ availability. “I think he’s got to warm up tonight. Something with his ankle, that’s all I know.”
Despite that, both teams still had talent.
The Suns had the likes of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks.
Brooks and Booker were both coming off 20+ points per game in the regular season, while Green had 35 points in the NBA Play-In Tournament loss against Portland.
As for Golden State, they had two-timed MVP Stephen Curry, who was also coming off a 35-point showing against the Clippers, alongside Porzingis and Gui Santos having 20 points.
With a playoff spot on the line, it was no surprise that rotations were closing in, and that teams were trying to keep their best players on the court for lengthy periods of time.
Curry and Booker would be a battle to look for, but Draymond Green and Brooks could turn into a highlight, as both bring the energy that both teams need.
“That’s the beauty of Draymond (Green),” Kerr said regarding Green. “He guards everybody, but I’ve never seen anybody who can guard literally the entire floor and any position. He can switch onto point guards; he blows up plays. No matter who he’s guarding, he’ll be ready.”
Not only that, but Brooks had been knocked out by the Warriors twice in the NBA Playoffs prior to this game, including last year when he was on the Houston Rockets.
“Dillon (Brooks) has had that edge,” Ott said regarding Brooks. “Every day, he brings it into the gym. We’ve talked a ton about it; he’s changed how we feel every single night by the way he approaches the game. Being around him every day, we really appreciate the juice he brings every night.”
It didn’t help that Golden State, just like Portland and Phoenix, was known for shooting the ball from deep, and that would be a big challenge for the Suns, especially after Portland’s visit.
Even then, Phoenix’s defense did manage to clamp Portland in the second half on Tuesday, so it seemed like a matter of adjustments.
Not only would Phoenix have to adapt, but so would Golden State.
Before the game, however, Williams was ruled out against the Warriors.
“He had soreness, early in the second half,” Ott said regarding Williams. “Same left foot just flared up. Now we’re just waiting for the inflammation to calm down.”
As for Allen, he was deemed good to go against the Warriors, while Porzingis was also deemed ready to go against the Suns.
Phoenix wasted no time, going on a 13-2 run early in the first, leading to a Golden State timeout.
“I think that’s when we’re at our best,” Jordan Goodwin said. “When we’re aggressive. I just want to go out there and set the tone on the defensive end. Just taking on whatever matchup, I got to make it difficult out there.”
To make things worse for Golden State, once they found their footing, the Suns went on another run, this time a 10-0 run.
Those two runs helped the Suns build a 33-15 lead in the first quarter.
Brooks led the way for Phoenix with eight points, while Booker followed with seven points.
Green was playing solid for Phoenix, having six points, two assists, and three rebounds.
“I just felt good all night,” Green said. “You know, I was getting some open looks. Yeah, I felt good all night.”
As for Golden State, it was grim, as Porzingis led the team with five points, and every other scorer only had two points.
The problem for Golden State was finding the net. They were 6-for-20 from the field, and a woeful 1-for-9 from three.
Even then, there were still 36 minutes of basketball to be played. Phoenix couldn’t play contempt.
Despite it taking nearly three minutes for the Suns to find their first basket, their defense was holding strong, only allowing six points in that timeframe.
The Warriors turned up the aggression on defense, and that led to a 12-2 run in favor of Golden State.
Late in the second, Brooks made a shot over Santos, but was given an offensive foul, which Phoenix decided to challenge.
The referees deemed it an unsuccessful challenge.
The Warriors then went on a 9-0 run to trim the lead even more, late in the second.
Entering the second half, the Suns held a five-point lead.
Green had the most points for Phoenix so far with 14 points, while Booker followed with nine points.
“Ultimate confidence,” Ott said regarding Green. “He’s a big-time shot maker, feels comfortable in this environment. He was confident walking into the building today that he could get to his spots. It’s been a process all season and now it’s just letting his work just do his thing. He’s really hard to guard.”
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors in points with 12 points and five rebounds, while Curry followed with seven points.
“Just eliminate the easy ones,” Goodwin said regarding Curry. “We know he’s going to make shots. Just moving onto the next play, that was my whole mindset.”
The Warriors were getting to the paint easily, but still struggled from three, only going 3-for-14.
Midway through the third, the Suns went on an 11-0 run to strengthen their lead.
The Warriors didn’t take that lightly though, as they made their own 9-0 run.
“It’s the NBA,” Green said. “You kind of learn that the first couple of years. You can’t worry too much about the last game; you got another one coming up. We talked to each other in the film room, came together and started our preparation.”
Entering the fourth quarter, the Suns led 78-69.
Green of the Suns exploded, as he had 27 points entering the fourth, while Brooks and Ighodaro followed with 13 points.
As for the Warriors, Podziemski still led the way with 14 points, while Gary Payton followed him with 13 points.
Entering the final 12 minutes, it was now or never for both teams.
The Suns were looking to preserve their lead, while the Warriors were looking to come back.
With seven minutes left, the Suns led by 14, and were looking to maintain it, while Golden State was looking to get hot and quick.
Late in the fourth, Green of the Warriors and Booker got into a heated conversation, leading to technical fouls on both players.
The talking continued, before both were assessed another technical foul, leading to the two being ejected.
In the end, the Suns never gave the lead up, winning 111-96.
For the Warriors, Podziemski finished with a double-double, grabbing 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Curry finished with 17 points.
“It’s Stephen Curry,” Goodwin said. “Definitely the greatest shooter of our eyes to ever play the game. I was locked in, just the adrenaline and the fans; I feed off that energy. Shoutout (to) the fans, I just feed off their energy.”
For the Suns, Green finished with 36 points, going 14-for-20 from the field, and 8-for-14 from beyond the arc.
“I thought he was incredible efficient,” Ott said. “It’s really hard to stay in front of him. He was there, multiple times to get those steals in the fourth quarter, which were huge plays.”
Booker finished with 20 points and eight assists.
“You kinda got to pick your poison,” Green said regarding playing with Booker. “We playoff each other in that situation and Book can get to his spot, rise up or get downhill. It’s kind of a two-man threat.”
The Suns officially clinch the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs, while the Warriors are eliminated.
“I think that’s what we’ve done all year,” Ott said. “I think that’s the group, that’s in the locker room, that’s resilient and wants to do things difference and that’s what we stress from the get-go.”
It won’t be easy, as Phoenix’s first opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champions.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Ott said. “In a good place, we know the opponent we’re up against, but we’re excited. We’re excited to keep this thing rolling.”
The Suns meet Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at Paycom Center.