PHOENIX – Only a few hours after a pair of trades sent Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Trayce Jackson-Davis to new teams, the shorthanded Warriors rolled into Phoenix with a thin roster and ample opportunities for unheralded players to step up in Phoenix on Thursday.
With Steph Curry in street clothes for the second consecutive game while dealing with runner’s knee, the 11-man Golden State put up a valiant effort that resulted in a come-from-behind 101-97 win.
De’Anthony Melton’s layup with a minute remaining tied the game at 97, and then Gui Santos took the ball coast to coast after an Al Horford block to give Golden State a 99-97 lead with 28 seconds left in regulation. Dillon Brooks’ midrange jumper clanked, and Melton salted away the win with a layup as time expired.
Pat Spencer, playing in his 50th and final game as a two-way player this season, showed why Golden State is expected to give him a fulltime contract by putting up a career-high 20 points. Meanwhile, Santos dished out a career-high seven assists while scoring 18 points. Both players took every opportunity to talk trash to the chatty Suns bench.
Melton got his first start of the season and scored 17, his sixth consecutive game in double figures. Gary Payton II chipped in 15 points, and Horford posted up like it was 2009 on his way to 13 points.
Curry missed a second consecutive game with runner’s knee, but the Warriors still found a way to get up 3-point shots at a prolific rate.
They took 48 shots in the first half, and a whopping 37 of them were from behind the arc. The Warriors finished the game by making 20 of 55 triples, and Spencer dropped in a career-high six 3-pointers.
The Suns, missing star Devin Booker, leaned on Dillon Brooks to create offense. He scored 24.
The Warriors’ bomb-away offense worked well enough to create a 59-55 lead at halftime, but they began to run out of steam in the third quarter. Golden State scored just 17 points and attempted only 10-point attempts in the period.
The Warriors found life in the fourth after falling behind by double figures, eventually cutting the Suns advantage to 97-95 with 1:45 remaining.
The Warriors (28-24) snapped a two-game losing streak. The team expects new addition Kristaps Porzingis to join the Warriors in Los Angeles for Saturday’s game at the Lakers, but do not foresee him playing in that game.
Podziemski not feeling well
Brandin Podziemski exited the game after coming off the bench for a short four-minute stretch in the first quarter. He then promptly walked back to the locker room.
The third-year shooting guard did not return to the bench for the rest of the first half. He finally reappeared at halftime, getting a few shots up during the break.
The Warriors later said Podziemski was “not feeling well” and said his status for the second half was uncertain. Podziemski checked in with 8:06 left in the third quarter but only played 12 minutes, going scoreless.
