Golden State Warriors 116, Phoenix Suns 113: 42-point third quarter erases 17-point hole
Stephen Curry scored 34 and the Warriors won the free-throw line by nine to beat Phoenix 116-113 for a fifth straight win.
The Golden State Warriors spent most of Monday night chasing the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center, trailing by as many as 17. They caught them with a 42-point third quarter and finished it at the free-throw line, winning 116-113 for their fifth straight victory.
Stephen Curry led everyone with 34 points and 7 assists. The Warriors never led by more than 7, but they led when it counted.
The result also settled a score from earlier in the season. Phoenix beat Golden State 131-122 in Phoenix during the Warriors' 0-3 start. Since then the Warriors are 5-0 and sit at 5-3. The Suns fall to 1-4.
How it was won
The first quarter belonged to Phoenix. The Suns scored 31 to the Warriors' 19 and built the cushion that would grow to 17. Golden State took the second quarter 32-26, but still went to the break down 57-51.
The third quarter turned it. The Warriors scored 42 points, Phoenix answered with 36 of its own, and the game went to the fourth tied at 93. It was a shootout of a quarter, and Golden State simply got more of it.
The fourth was tighter and lower scoring. The Warriors won it 23-20, which was enough.
The box score explains how a team that shot worse won anyway. Phoenix made 47 percent from the field against 43 percent for Golden State, and outscored the Warriors 48-42 in the paint. The Warriors went 13-for-42 from three, a cold 31 percent.
The difference was at the line and on the glass. Golden State made 31 of 37 free throws; Phoenix made 22 of 30. That is nine points from the stripe in a three-point game. The Warriors also outrebounded the Suns 44-37 and turned it over 13 times to Phoenix's 15.
Curry's 34 came with 6 rebounds and 5-of-13 shooting from deep. Brandin Podziemski added 20 points, going 3-for-8 from three. Charles Bassey gave the Warriors 19 points and 8 rebounds, a big night from the frontcourt in a game Phoenix was winning inside.
For Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 26 with 5 assists. Miles Bridges had 21 points and 6 rebounds on 3-of-5 from three, and Dillon Brooks added 18 points and 8 rebounds without missing either of his threes. The Suns shot 11-for-30 from deep and had 28 assists, but the free-throw gap and 17-point lead slipping away cost them.
Against the number
The Warriors closed as 2.5-point favorites and won by 3, covering by half a point. On the moneyline, Golden State closed at -136 and Phoenix at +115.
The total closed at 227.5 and the teams scored 229, so the over cashed by a point and a half. After three quarters the score stood at 93-93, which left 41.5 points needed in the fourth for the over. The quarter produced 43. Full prices and line history are on the game page.
For anyone tracking the Warriors against the number, the pattern of the last five games is a team winning comfortably at times and grinding at others. This one was a grind, and the half-point mattered.
What's next
The Warriors are home again on Thursday, November 5, against the Miami Heat, on NBA TV. They will put a five-game winning streak on the line, with three straight wins at Chase Center over the Lakers, Clippers and Suns.
Phoenix leaves San Francisco at 1-4 and needs answers on closing out leads. Their next opponent and date were not available at the time of writing; we will add the odds when the market posts them.
