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The Golden State Warriors will go into the All-Star on their first three-game losing streak of the season. Without stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Dubs were defeated 120-98 by the Phoenix Suns.
Recent G League call-up Jordan Poole led the Warriors with 26 points, while rookie James Wiseman had 11 points and 10 rebounds in a career-high 35 minutes. The Suns — who have now won 16 of their last 19 games, were led by Devin Booker, who finished the game with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr said he was impressed with what he saw from Poole.
Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole's playing time: "When you play like he did tonight, then you definitely deserve another look. You always have to earn everything in this league. The way he played tonight he definitely earned more minutes." Says the team has difficult rotation decisions
— Brady Klopfer (@BradyKlopferNBA) March 5, 2021
It was a scrappy performance by the undermanned Dubs, who were clearly overmatched in the talent department.
The Warriors kept it close in the first quarter and only trailed 16-15 less than seven minutes into the game. The Suns closed out the quarter on an 18-8 run and led by 11 after the opening 12 minutes.
Phoenix kept up the pressure in the second and outscored Golden State 19-10 to take a 20-point lead with 4:58 to go. It looked like the overmatched Dubs would get run out of the gym, but they didn’t quit.
Led by Poole, the Warriors went on an 18-9 run to cut the deficit to 62-51 at the break. Poole was dynamite during the second quarter, scoring 13 points and helping Golden State get back into the game. The Dubs would have been closer if they could keep on the boards. The Suns outrebounded the Warriors 27-17 during the opening half.
The third quarter played out like the first two. Anytime Golden State needed a big stop or bucket, it couldn’t get it. Phoenix kept the Dubs at bay and took a 14-point lead into the final quarter.
All-in-all, you can’t be upset with the effort of the shorthanded Warriors squad. The young guys showed some fight and didn’t back down against the much more talented Suns squad. Head coach Steve Kerr’s biggest concern is that his guys are healthy going into the second half of the season.