114-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> while the Warriors were coming off a 126-121 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\nThe job was simple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The winner would clinch the 8th seed and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs while the loser would be eliminated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the desperation the other night,\u201d Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. \u201cI think anytime you\u2019re in this competitive environment, when you know the stakes going into it, those possessions are incredibly valuable. Everyone\u2019s well aware what it means to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot to maintain it,\u201d Ott said regarding the team\u2019s composure. \u201cHaving the mental stamina to overcome the highs and lows of every one of these Play-In games. We\u2019ve seen it on TV; we were through it. Got to have composure all night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Suns had Grayson Allen (hamstring) and Mark Williams (foot) on Game-Time Decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Grayson (Allen) is one of our best offensive players,\u201d Ott said. \u201cHis ability to impact our offense whether he has the ball or not, and I think he\u2019s taking huge stride with the basketball this year as a playmaker, so he has it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the Warriors, they were without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Quentin Post (foot), while Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) was on GTD.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope so,\u201d Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said regarding Porzingis\u2019 availability. \u201cI think he\u2019s got to warm up tonight. Something with his ankle, that\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite that, both teams still had talent.<\/p>\n
The Suns had the likes of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of Draymond (Green),\u201d Kerr said regarding Green. \u201cHe guards everybody, but I\u2019ve 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\u2019s guarding, he\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDillon (Brooks) has had that edge,\u201d Ott said regarding Brooks. \u201cEvery day, he brings it into the gym. We\u2019ve talked a ton about it; he\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t 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\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n
Even then, Phoenix\u2019s defense did manage to clamp Portland in the second half on Tuesday, so it seemed like a matter of adjustments.<\/p>\n
Not only would Phoenix have to adapt, but so would Golden State.<\/p>\n
Before the game, however, Williams was ruled out against the Warriors.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had soreness, early in the second half,\u201d Ott said regarding Williams. \u201cSame left foot just flared up. Now we\u2019re just waiting for the inflammation to calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Allen, he was deemed good to go against the Warriors, while Porzingis was also deemed ready to go against the Suns.<\/p>\n
Phoenix wasted no time, going on a 13-2 run early in the first, leading to a Golden State timeout.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s when we\u2019re at our best,\u201d Jordan Goodwin said. \u201cWhen we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
To make things worse for Golden State, once they found their footing, the Suns went on another run, this time a 10-0 run.<\/p>\n
Those two runs helped the Suns build a 33-15 lead in the first quarter.<\/p>\n
Brooks led the way for Phoenix with eight points, while Booker followed with seven points.<\/p>\n
Green was playing solid for Phoenix, having six points, two assists, and three rebounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just felt good all night,\u201d Green said. \u201cYou know, I was getting some open looks. Yeah, I felt good all night.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Golden State, it was grim, as Porzingis led the team with five points, and every other scorer only had two points.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Even then, there were still 36 minutes of basketball to be played. Phoenix couldn\u2019t play contempt.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Warriors turned up the aggression on defense, and that led to a 12-2 run in favor of Golden State.<\/p>\n
Late in the second, Brooks made a shot over Santos, but was given an offensive foul, which Phoenix decided to challenge.<\/p>\n
The referees deemed it an unsuccessful challenge.<\/p>\n
The Warriors then went on a 9-0 run to trim the lead even more, late in the second.<\/p>\n
Entering the second half, the Suns held a five-point lead.<\/p>\n
Green had the most points for Phoenix so far with 14 points, while Booker followed with nine points.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimate confidence,\u201d Ott said regarding Green. \u201cHe\u2019s 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\u2019s been a process all season and now it\u2019s just letting his work just do his thing. He\u2019s really hard to guard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors in points with 12 points and five rebounds, while Curry followed with seven points.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust eliminate the easy ones,\u201d Goodwin said regarding Curry. \u201cWe know he\u2019s going to make shots. Just moving onto the next play, that was my whole mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Warriors were getting to the paint easily, but still struggled from three, only going 3-for-14.<\/p>\n
Midway through the third, the Suns went on an 11-0 run to strengthen their lead.<\/p>\n
The Warriors didn\u2019t take that lightly though, as they made their own 9-0 run.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the NBA,\u201d Green said. \u201cYou kind of learn that the first couple of years. You can\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entering the fourth quarter, the Suns led 78-69.<\/p>\n
Green of the Suns exploded, as he had 27 points entering the fourth, while Brooks and Ighodaro followed with 13 points.<\/p>\n
As for the Warriors, Podziemski still led the way with 14 points, while Gary Payton followed him with 13 points.<\/p>\n
Entering the final 12 minutes, it was now or never for both teams.<\/p>\n
The Suns were looking to preserve their lead, while the Warriors were looking to come back.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Late in the fourth, Green of the Warriors and Booker got into a heated conversation, leading to technical fouls on both players.<\/p>\n
The talking continued, before both were assessed another technical foul, leading to the two being ejected.<\/p>\n
In the end, the Suns never gave the lead up, winning 111-96.<\/p>\n
For the Warriors, Podziemski finished with a double-double, grabbing 23 points and 10 rebounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curry finished with 17 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Stephen Curry,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cDefinitely 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Suns, Green finished with 36 points, going 14-for-20 from the field, and 8-for-14 from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was incredible efficient,\u201d Ott said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Booker finished with 20 points and eight assists.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kinda got to pick your poison,\u201d Green said regarding playing with Booker. \u201cWe playoff each other in that situation and Book can get to his spot, rise up or get downhill. It\u2019s kind of a two-man threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Suns officially clinch the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs, while the Warriors are eliminated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s what we\u2019ve done all year,\u201d Ott said. \u201cI think that\u2019s the group, that\u2019s in the locker room, that\u2019s resilient and wants to do things difference and that\u2019s what we stress from the get-go.\u201d<\/p>\n
It won\u2019t be easy, as Phoenix\u2019s first opponent is the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a quick turnaround,\u201d Ott said. \u201cIn a good place, we know the opponent we\u2019re up against, but we\u2019re excited. We\u2019re excited to keep this thing rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Suns meet Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at Paycom Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 7th seeded Phoenix Suns hosted the 10th seeded Golden State Warriors in a win or go home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":712993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,479,164,4025,4024,6,255],"class_list":{"0":"post-712992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golden-state-warriors","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-golden-state","10":"tag-golden-state-warriors","11":"tag-goldenstate","12":"tag-goldenstatewarriors","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-warriors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116424364743080020","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=712992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/712992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=712992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=712992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=712992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}