What We Learned As Steph Curry, Warriors Erase 17-point Deficit To Stun Suns

What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors erase 17-point deficit to stun Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – Playing the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights, the Warriors looked exhausted against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at Chase Center. 

Jumping on Steph Curry’s back, the Warriors were able to pull off what they couldn’t once all last season. They didn’t have a single five-game win streak in the 2025-26 season. They do now in the 2026-27 campaign, winning five straight after an 0-3 start to the season, erasing a 17-point deficit to beat the Suns 116-113. 

Curry and Draymond Green returned from resting the previous night. Green was ineffective and ejected in the third quarter. Curry started slow and then exploded to score a game-high 34 points. 

In his last three games, Curry now has scored 44, 31 and 34 points. He’s now averaging exactly 30 points this season at 38 years old in Year 18. 

Brandin Podziemski added 20 points, Charles Bassey was a jolt in scoring a career-high 19 points off the bench  and Yaxel Lendeborg followed his 37-point performance with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ fifth straight win. 

Make Or Miss League

Sometimes games can be as simple as shots falling and not falling. The Warriors became 3-point happy to begin the game, taking seven of their first eight shots beyond the arc and making only two. They shot 33.3 percent overall in the first quarter (8 of 24) and went a lowly 2 of 15 from 3-point range (13.3 percent).

The Suns also made two threes in the first quarter, but the Warriors attempted 10 more than them and trailed by 12 points through the first 12 minutes. When it looked like the game could get out of hand in a 16-point deficit, the Warriors answered with a 12-0 run late in the second quarter. They went 5 of 11 from three in the second quarter while taking care of the ball and made it a six-point game at halftime.

As Curry gets going, everybody else usually follows. That’s how it unsurprisingly went against the Suns. The Warriors scored 19 points in the first quarter, 32 in the second and then 42 in the third to make it a tie game entering the fourth quarter. It just so happens that Curry found his flurry in the third quarter, and the Warriors went 5 of 10 on threes in the frame. 

The Warriors created good shots and minimized their turnovers for a winning recipe. They made four fewer shots than the Suns, but had two more threes than them, made nine more free throws than them and turned the ball over two fewer times to win each of the final three quarters.

Steph Finds His Surge 

There were various reasons the Warriors chose to sit Curry and Green on the first night of a back-to-back instead of the second. The Warriors had just returned from a three-game road trip, and the they needed all 31 points in 31 minutes from Curry to beat the Los Angeles Lakers. He looked rested right away Monday night too, scoring the first three points of the game for the Warriors. 

But Curry didn’t make another shot the rest of the quarter, and connected just once more – but not from three – in the first half. Curry went into halftime with nine points on 2-of-7 shooting, doing most of his damage at the free-throw line. Right on cue, Curry made a three 15 seconds into the third quarter. 

In the first half, it looked like Curry couldn’t find his burst. Then the third quarter started, and Curry scored 18 points in eight-plus minutes. All the sudden he was up to 27 points, and the Warriors found their mojo and momentum.

Golden State’s lead was lost with Curry on the bench in the fourth quarter. Curry returned at the 4:48 mark and the Warriors outscored the Suns 12-9 the rest of the way.

More Bassey Ball 

On the Warriors’ next possession after Green’s ejection, Bassey entered and continued the kind of impact he had been making all game. Bassey played through contact for a tip-in layup, and though he missed his free throw, he assisted Curry for a three the next time down the court.

Bassey tied Curry as the Warriors’ leading scorer in the first half and was one of their two players to have multiple offensive rebounds. How many other players, outside of Lendeborg, do the Warriors have who possess size and can make plays like these? 

Using Lendeborg as a playmaking ball-handler, he and Bassey have created quick chemistry for easy baskets and exciting lobs. 

The last game these two teams played each other, Bassey shone off the bench with 10 points and seven rebounds. He also grabbed 10 rebounds Sunday night in a spot start. As a team that lacks size and athleticism, Bassey keeps showing why he might be earning more opportunities.

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