Golden State vs Phoenix Lived Up To The Hype
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Portland Trail Blazers (110-92 W)
Who needs Damian Lillard? Back at Moda Center against the Pistons, this game was a guaranteed win. The Blazers continue to be unstoppable at home and led for almost the entire way.
It was a balanced scoring attack, featuring 28 combined points from Dennis Smith Jr and Ben McLemore off the bench. The Blazers desperately needed this win after losing their last three games. While we still have glaring problems on both sides of the ball, it’s good to enjoy a win.
Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns
Wow, this game was fun. The two best teams in the NBA dueled in an absolute defensive bloodbath.
The non-stop action led to a very entertaining game. The Warriors were able to stay in the game despite sloppy play and a bad night from Steph Curry. However, those two factors made it impossible for them to overcome the Suns.
Even with Devin Booker in the 2nd half, the Suns suffocated the Warriors late and got their 17th straight win, tying the franchise record for the longest winning streak ever.
This game had a lot to unpack, so let’s break down this battle between two titans of the West.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors somehow managed to stay in this game. They didn’t look right, for some reason. Perhaps that was due to Steph Curry struggling, but they didn’t look in rhythm.
While Jordan Poole did everything he could to keep them in the game, the Warriors were too sloppy and shot themselves in the foot a lot. It was a winnable game, but the Warriors just didn’t want it enough.
Sometimes, The Warriors Go Too Fast
While Golden State has been dominating teams this season, if they’ve had one problem, it’s been turnovers. While playing at a fast pace causes chaos for defenses, sometimes it can do the same for the offense. That’s what happened in this game, where the Warriors had an astounding 22 turnovers.
This season, the Warriors average more turnovers (16.4) than every other team in the NBA except for the Rockets. The Suns had 19 points off turnovers, as the Warriors gifted them too many easy opportunities. The Warriors had three turnovers in the final stages of the 4th quarter, turnovers that eventually lost them the game.
While playing fast is good for the Warriors, some of their decisions have to be better. They got caught in the air, trying to do too much with the ball. The passes weren’t crisp and precise, instead, they were lazy and off-target.
Having this many turnovers and giving your opponent that many extra opportunities is a recipe for disaster. While the Warriors have beaten the rest of the NBA despite this, they can’t beat other great teams with their turnover problems.
Beautiful Bench Unit Play
If there was one positive from this game, it was how well the bench unit played. When the starters were struggling to keep pace with the Suns, the bench came in and gave Steve Kerr really good minutes. Even with injuries to Damion Lee and Andre Iguodala, the bench unit was quite good.
In the first half, Otto Porter Jr. provided a great scoring punch. He had 12 points in 14 minutes of action and was a +7 in his minutes. Gary Payton II, aka Mittens, was a defensive hound against the Suns’ ball-handlers and was a pest.
Those two guys were a solid presence for the Warriors off the bench in the first half.
In the 2nd half, the Warriors relied on their bench even more, and again, they provided excellent minutes on both sides of the ball. Otto Porter hit a few more shots in the 2nd half, finishing with 16 points to lead the Warriors bench. Gary Payton II got more scoring opportunities in the 2nd half, including an explosive left-handed jam in transition.
I would have liked to see Juan Toscano-Anderson get more than 12 minutes in total and just 5 minutes in the 2nd half, but other than that, the bench was great.
If the Warriors get this much production from their bench, without Andre Iguodala, they’re always going to have a chance to win games. Not many bench units are this versatile and house that many weapons, but Golden State is one of those teams.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are on top of the world. Even without Devin Booker in the 2nd half, their suffocating defense won them this game. The offense, piloted by CP-3, was solid. But they played the best defense anybody has played against the Warriors this season.
Mikal Bridges did a superb job on MVP frontrunner Steph Curry, who had one of the worst games of his career. The Suns were great on both sides of the floor, earning their 17th straight victory.
Steph Curry Defense Masterclass
Steph Curry played one of the worst games of his career for a reason. Curry shot 4/21 from the field, his worst shooting game when he shoots 20+ field goals. While Curry missed some shots that he normally makes, the Suns defense forced him take tough shots, which resulted in bad misses.
Deandre Ayton Creates So Much Offense For The Suns
Wholesome Content
Cade Cunningham Can Shoot The Ball
After a few weeks of struggling to put the ball in the basket, Cade Cunningham again showed us why he was the #1 overall pick. Albeit against Portland’s defense, Cunningham played one of the best games of his career. Let’s take a closer look into what Cade did last night to make him so effective.
Cade’s first bucket of the night isn’t overly simple, but it’s a good sign to see him making those jump shots. Entering this game, Cunningham was shooting just 24% (15/62) on catch-and-shoot 3’s. In this game, he was 4/4 on catch-and-shoot 3’s.
The shooting mechanics haven’t been the problem for Cade. He’s just struggled to make those catch-and-shoot opportunities when he gets them. That wasn’t a problem for him last night.
This one is fun. Cade is much bigger and taller than Simons and isn’t hiding his strategy. Instead of trying to put his head down and drive, Cade just takes him to behind the woodshed for some punishment.
That’s not even the best part of this play. A left-handed hook while gliding across the lane? Not too many guys in the NBA can do that, much less a rookie who’s played just 16 games.
I don’t know how Cade Cunningham got to this ball. I was watching this in real-time and was thinking there was no way he could get back to the ball. But he did.
Cunningham is near the free-throw line by the time Covington is going for the dunk. But somehow, someway, Cade recovered in time to stop an easy score.
Cunningham played one of his best games in the pros last night. While he still had six turnovers, overall, it was a very good game for Cade. He picked his spots well and was finally able to knock down shots from the perimeter.
I hope this game is a building block for the rest of the season for Cade. Perhaps we see some more offense in the next few games? I hope so.
26 points – 7 rebounds – 3 blocks – 77% FG – 5/7 3-PT
James Harden Was An MVP Again…For A Half
He’s getting there, people. James Harden has stated that it’s been hard for him to strike a balance between scoring and playmaking. While I don’t 100% believe that statement, Harden knew what he was doing in the first half against the Knicks.
SCORE
Harden put on a dazzling display of scoring, shaking off the rust from the first quarter of this season. He was aggressive, fluid, and played basketball freely for the first time in a while. The Nets need this version of Harden to show himself more often.
With their limited depth and Joe Harris out long-term, the Nets will need Harden to put up these types of numbers. He’s capable of doing this stuff on a nightly basis, he just has to play like an MVP. Is that too hard to ask for?
James Harden In The First Half
28 points – 8/12 FG – 9/10 FT
This play here encourages me the most. When Harden isn’t seeking out contact and isn’t settling for floaters, he’s a lethal scorer. Now it’s just a matter of doing this more often.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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