Game Recap: Booker Fouls Out As Suns Fall Short, 116-113

The Phoenix Suns fall to 1-4 on the season and have lost 3 straight games. There was progress overall, but the ultimate goal is to win games, and the Suns broke down late with key turnovers and missed free throws.

The Suns led by as many as 17 points, survived a Draymond Green ejection and a Stephen Curry heater, and still lost it at the free-throw line.

Golden State won 116-113, dropping Phoenix to 1-4. The Suns won the first half at the stripe 13-of-14 to 8-of-10, then watched the Warriors go 23-of-27 in the second half to their 9-of-16. Devin Booker fouled out with under a minute left and Phoenix down five.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 2-of-4 from three and 8-of-8 at the line, with 5 assists in 34:58 before fouling out.

Miles Bridges added 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 3-of-5 from three, with 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Dillon Brooks scored 18 on 5-of-8 shooting with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Oso Ighodaro was perfect at 6-of-6 for 14 points off the bench, and Jalen Green filled it up with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Luke Kennard finished +15 in 17:42.

Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points on 9-of-21 shooting, 5-of-13 from three and 11-of-12 at the line, with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski added 20, Charles Bassey had 19 points and 8 rebounds off the bench, and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 with 8-of-9 at the line.

Game Flow

First Half 

The Suns opened with Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Miles Bridges, and Man Man, and the defense set the tone right away. Golden State’s starting five went a combined 3-of-14 from the floor for 8 points.

The Warriors lived behind the arc and paid for it. Golden State went 2-of-15 from three, including Stephen Curry at 1-of-4, while Phoenix hit 2 of its 5 attempts. The Suns shot 60% overall (12-of-20) and turned Warriors mistakes into 9 points off turnovers and 8 fast-break points, compared to 3 and 2 for Golden State.

The bench kept the pressure on. Oso Ighodaro went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line for 8 points, the most of anyone on the floor. Phoenix closed the quarter with Bridges, Luke Kennard, Jordan Goodwin, Collin Gillespie and Ighodaro, and Kennard posted a +9 in under four minutes without scoring.

The only area Golden State matched Phoenix was inside, where both teams scored 20 points in the paint. Charles Bassey led the Warriors with 7 points off the bench, and the Warriors won second-chance points 6-5. Booker led the Suns at +10 with 5 points and 2 assists, and Brooks added 5 points on perfect shooting.

Phoenix led after the first quarter, 31-19. A drastic first quarter improvement defensively from the opening 4 games.

After a 2-of-15 first quarter, the Warriors went 5-of-9 from three in the second and shot 50% overall (10-of-20). Yaxel Lendeborg hit both of his threes for 8 points in the quarter, and Brandin Podziemski added 6 on a pair of triples.

The Suns lost their grip on the paint. After winning the paint 16-12 in the first, Phoenix went 2-of-8 inside in the second for 4 points while Golden State scored 10 there. The Warriors also won the quarter on the boards 11-5.

Devin Booker kept Phoenix ahead. He scored 11 in the quarter on 3-of-4 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line, and the Suns went 8-of-8 at the stripe as a team. Luke Kennard knocked down two threes for 6 points off the bench, and Miles Bridges chipped in 7.

The Suns pushed the lead to 16 at 55-39 with 3:45 left in the half. Then the offense stalled. Golden State ripped off a 12-0 run over the next 2:42, cutting it to 55-51 at the 1:03 mark.

Golden State won the second quarter 32-26.

Phoenix led 57-51 at the break. Booker paced the Suns with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 5-of-5 at the line. Bridges added 11 points and 5 rebounds, and Jalen Green posted a team-best +10 with four boards.

Second Half

There was a huge blow to start the second half, as the Suns announced Jordan Goodwin would not return due to a calf injury.

As you’d expect, Dillon Brooks and Draymond Green got into it.

Draymond threw Khaman Maluach to the ground to start the altercation, and Dillon Brooks went to pull him back from heading towards Khaman who was on the ground. Green grabbed Brooks by his neck before the situation de-escalated.

Green was assessed a double technical and ejected, and Brooks received a technical.

Green played just two minutes in the third before his exit. He finished with 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 16:46.

Losing Green didn’t slow Golden State. Quite the opposite, actually. Phoenix did not have an answer for Charles Bassey, who had 6 points and 4 boards off the bench in the quarter. Stephen Curry took over with 18 points in the quarter on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-5 from three. Brandin Podziemski added 10, and the Warriors shot 59.1% in the period.

The free-throw line flipped on Phoenix. After going 13-of-14 in the first half, the Suns went 6-of-12 in the third. Jalen Green missed all four of his attempts.

Brooks kept the Suns afloat with 9 points on 3-of-3 shooting, and Man Man went 2-of-2 for 5 points. Jalen Green dished 5 assists in the quarter. Devin Booker scored 8 but went 2-of-7 and picked up four fouls in the period.

After three, it was tied at 93.

Tied at 93, the fourth turned into a grind. Golden State made just 5 field goals in the quarter on 5-of-17 shooting, and Stephen Curry went 1-of-5. It didn’t matter. The Warriors lived at the line, going 12-of-13 in the period while Phoenix went 3-of-4.

The Suns won the glass 13-8 and grabbed five offensive rebounds, but gave it right back with seven turnovers. Jalen Green battled for 7 points and 4 rebounds, three of them offensive, but had three of those turnovers. Phoenix went 1-of-7 from three in the quarter.

The final minutes came apart in a hurry.

Booker fouled out on a flop from De’Anthony Melton, called for an offensive foul with under a minute left and Phoenix down 113-108. He finished with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 8-of-8 at the line and 5 assists, but managed just 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting in the fourth.

Golden State won the fourth quarter 23-20 and the game 116-113.

Up Next

The Suns will host the Blazers team that destroyed them on Opening Night on Wednesday in Downtown Phoenix.