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With 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Suns led the Warriors 42-38. The first game back home from a road trip is said to be notoriously rough, and the Warriors simply didn't have energy or discipline coming into the game. The offense was over-passing, the defensive rotations weren't clean, and those pesky turnovers disrupted the flow of the game.
And suddenly, like we've seen from this club time and time again, the dynamic changed. Klay Thompson started hitting some jumpers. The defense gott some some stops. Fast break opportunities offered some easy hoops. Slowly, the crowd grew loud. In just 3 minutes and 20 seconds, the Warriors went on a 21-4 run, and went into half time with all the momentum in the world.
But it didn't stop there. In their nonchalantly arrogant way, the Warriors destroyed the Suns even worse in the 3rd quarter. Klay nailed jumper after jumper on his way to 27 in the period. Draymond Green got his fourth triple-double of the season. The Dubs scored 46 points in the quarter, an NBA season high, and led the Suns by 40 going into the fourth, enabling Luke Walton to bench his starters for the remainder of the game.
Just look at the box score for the third quarter:
Box score from that 46 point 3d Q pic.twitter.com/miJFHqHhzK
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) December 17, 2015
This game was prime Warriors basketball, the kind we haven't seen in a few weeks due to the length, injuries, and exhaustion of the road trip. The players were having more fun out there than they've had in a few weeks. With all the talk about the Spurs in the three days after the Warriors' first loss, the team made sure the NBA remembers who's on top. A new win streak has begun.
The Takes
Klay doesn't even feel defenders when he's hot. Or doesn't care. Or both.
— Andy Liu (@AndyKHLiu) December 17, 2015
Starting to look like GSW on track for 3 all-stars if Klay keeps this up
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) December 17, 2015
bogut is +41 despite not taking a single shot
— jenny (@jp_on_rye) December 17, 2015
The Clips
Dime of the night. https://t.co/0Ke8wTTFXu @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) December 17, 2015
Gorgeous Blind Pig Action, Bogut To Curry. #TriangleLives https://t.co/sbsPYw4Ddm
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) December 17, 2015
Draymond Threads The Needle. Curry Doesn't Stop Moving. https://t.co/3LMEBuLK6x
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) December 17, 2015
Steph goes up for the slam and doesn't quite make it https://t.co/I7GoUISnDa
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) December 17, 2015
43 + counting for Thompson (15/22 on FGA) on ESPN! #NBARapidReplay #PHXatGSW https://t.co/33VmFGw4wB
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2015
Closing Thoughts
- The Suns may be talented, but they play with little discipline. Their offense consists too many Brandon Knight or Eric Bledsoe isolation jumpers, and their transition defense was humiliated tonight.
- When the Warriors start picking up the pace and hit their shots, most teams try to go toe-to-toe with them: match threes for threes, find fast break opportunities, and take quick shots. This is a huge mistake. This is how teams get run out of the building.
- With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as locks for the All-Star game, Klay's establishing a good case for his inclusion as well. Remember to vote for all three!
- Luke Walton's rotations in the fourth quarter were terrible! Kidding aside, it was funny to see Marreese Speights, Jason Thompson, and James Michael McAdoo on the court at the same time.
- With only two games this week, both at home, it'll be nice for the Warriors to catch their breath a little, prepare for the Cavaliers on Christmas, and get Harrison Barnes healthy. The Bucks on Friday, with Warrior-killer Greg Monroe out injured, are going to get a handful!