Game Story

The Suns got off to a solid start offensively, which was good considering they didn't play any defense at all in the opening minutes. The Warriors would take a lead and then the Suns would answer. However, the Suns' defensive effort picked up and shots continued to fall as the half wen on, and the Suns were able to build up a lead.

Micheal Beasley took the coaching staff's words to heart and came out firing. Thankfully, the shots were falling for him and he finished the first half with a game-high 15 points on 7-14 shooting. Most of his shots were jumpers, but he did take it to the basket and finished one time and also converted a sick alley-oop from Goran Dragic.

Luis Scola and Marcin Gortat controlled the glass with nine and eight boards respectively, and the Suns as a team held a 27-24 edge. Field goals were pretty even, but it was the free-throw line that made the difference for the Suns as they hit 9-12 at the stripe (including 4-4 by Dragic) compared to just 4-7 for the Warriors.

The result was a 52-48 lead for the Suns at the break.

However, the Suns' offense dried up in the third quarter, and a 13-0 run by the Warriors gave Golden State a lead. The Suns fought back for a little while, but the Warriors were just too much. Beasley went 0-4 in the period, and nobody else could hit a shot either. A 22-33 third quarter put the Suns down seven at the end of the period, and the Warriors continued to roll in the fourth to the tune of a 19-32 frame.

Micheal Beasley finished with 24 points to lead the Suns, but after a decent first half he went 3-9 in the second to finish 10-23 from the field. P.J. Tucker was solid with 12 points on seven shots, seven rebounds an three assists. Jared Dudley had 16 points on 5-9 shooting, but only played 27 minutes. Goran Dragic was the only other Sun in double figures with 13 points an seven assists, but he only shot 3-10.

Conversely, all five starters for the Warriors hit double figures in points, led by 29 and eight assists from Stephen Curry in his first game back after spraining his ankle again.

Lots O' Thoughts

• Kendall Marshall continues to get some burn, and he didn't look bad at all tonight. He finished with two points on a great drive and finish, three assists and one steal, but also had two turnovers in 19 minutes. He's a work in progress, but he does appear to be improving.
• The Suns actually held their own on the boards led by Luis Scola's 14. But considering the Suns missed 10 more shots than the Warriors, only being +1 (15-14) on the offensive glass isn't enough.
• The Warriors are a ridiculously good jump-shooting team. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Jarrett Jack are all very good shooters.
  
• Continuing on that thought, the Warriors' offense is a lot of fun to watch. They use so many screen and get so many open looks, and the ball movement is amazing. Look at these assist numbers: eight for Curry, seven for Jack, seven for Thompson and seven for Lee. 34 assists as a team. In the second half, the Warriors continued to work the ball around and run their offense, while the Suns settled for one-on-one play. The Warriors finished with a 32-22 edge in assists, which is a big reason the Warriors scored at will an the Suns couldn't buy a bucket.
• Most of the statistical categories were pretty close, and the Suns actually held a slight edge in free throws, rebounds and turnovers. But the Warriors dominated in two key areas: 3-point shooting and points in the paint. The Warriors shot a respectable 9-19 from deep compared to 5-15 for the Suns, an the Warriors dropped 66 points in the paint compared to 44 for the Suns. The Warriors got much easier an more efficient looks, and they converted them.
• Diante Garrett was freed! He only got two minutes of garbage time at the end, and made the most of it with two points and two rebounds. #FreeGarrettMore

The Suns head to Memphis on Wednesday for yet another tough road game.Suns Score