Suns use powerful defensive energy to deal with warriors

PHOENIX – A backbone strong enough to support the Phoenix Suns even when their stars aren’t cooking makes them an elite team, and we got a taste of that possibility Saturday in a 113-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors get.

Without Bradley Beal (treating left calf strain injury), Devin Booker (8 of 20) and Kevin Durant (7 of 20) combined to shoot 15 of 40 (37.5%). But Phoenix (11-8) was able to lean on strong defensive energy and a handful of key contributions from its supporting cast for the win.

“That’s exactly what we need to do,” Durant said. “We’ll have one or two games like this in the playoffs where it’s just a plodding game and both teams have some of their best players not shooting well. But who can get the most stops, who can make shots at the end of the game – and I think we did that tonight.”

Stephen Curry, whose arrival in the game was questionable due to knee soreness, didn’t look quite like himself, and Phoenix jumped over it all. A brief portion of the third quarter included Curry heating up as he knocked down all three of his attempts from deep. The Suns didn’t allow him another hit until the final frame when he cooled off.

Curry shot 8 of 21 for 23 points. Booker and Durant both mentioned “gameplan discipline” when discussing the Suns’ effective defensive night.

“Obviously Steph gets a lot of attention and he makes you pay if there’s any slip-up,” Booker said. “I think our game plan discipline, just making things difficult for him, was pretty good.”

Although the Warriors (12-7) have now lost four games in a row, it’s not because their outstanding defensive performance has waned much. Heading into the last two weeks, they ranked third in defensive rating, but offensive rating plummeted to 28th during that stretch, according to Cleaning the Glass. This made Phoenix’s defensive intent a key factor in the match and it ended in a decision.

Phoenix drilled 14 of its 18 three-pointers in the first half, the most in the first two quarters since 18 in the first half against the Houston Rockets in April 2021, leading the Suns to set a new franchise record of 25. The half also included 21 assists on 23 baskets.

Grayson Allen (3-6), Tyus Jones (4-5) and Royce O’Neale (3-4) all made at least three triples, while Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro didn’t have a single one. The rookie duo provided the crucial spark defensively .

“It’s that young energy,” Booker said of the freshmen.

“We trust them,” Durant said. “That’s what we expect from them. I think that’s what they bring to our team: that energy, that aggressiveness on defense, that physicality on defense and then also the challenge at the rim. That’s something the coach always stresses to everyone, not just the big guys, but everyone just has that collision mentality on the sidelines where you just want to disrupt the game.”

The Suns briefly experienced a straight fourth quarter last season in which there were two turnovers in the backcourt, cutting their 17-point lead to five, but they were able to hold on.

Beal and Jusuf Nurkic (right quad contusion) were out, so Phoenix started Allen and Mason Plumlee. Allen took the place of Dunn, who normally started in Beal’s position. Against an elite defensive team, the Suns chose Allen’s elite shooting. Allen’s stage setting was crucial in giving Booker some leeway early on.

Booker had 27 points, three rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one turnover in 38 minutes. After this five day break he looks like himself again.

Durant’s 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks were highlighted by his great effort on defense. His two-way game this year is unmatched by anyone in the entire league. Saturday marked just the seventh time in Durant’s 95 regular-season games with the Suns that he shot 35% or worse. Oddly enough, according to Stathead, Phoenix is ​​now 6-1 in those contests.

Ighodaro had six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes. He is not far away from legitimately claiming the title of top performer in the center rotation this season.

Similarly, Monte Morris has always given the Suns great utility opportunities whenever he has been used. His eight points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 15 minutes were great, an effort Durant raved about after the game. Had Jones not been so solid, he would be getting a lot more recognition and requests from the fan base for more runs. Speaking of which: Jones contributed 19 points and nine assists.

Follow @KellanOlson