SAN FRANCISCO -- About the only thing that was missing Wednesday night was Steph Curry.
The contest between the Warriors and Suns had everything else. Two of the Western Conference’s top teams. A tie game with less than two minutes to play. A lot of trash-talking during dead balls. A fired up Chase Center crowd. An atmosphere that felt like the playoffs.
In the end, the Warriors made some befuddling plays that doomed them in the final minute, as the Suns escaped The Bay with a 107-103 win in a game with major postseason vibes.
Despite the tough loss, the Warriors remained upbeat about their effort against the team with the NBA’s best record.
“We don’t do moral victories around here,” Draymond Green said. “We’ve won way too much to have moral victories. But tonight we found ourselves. We found our competitive spirit, we found our defense. That’s something that we can build on.”
At least the first 47 minutes of film. Maybe not the last minute.
A recurring problem that has plagued them all season popped up again Wednesday night – the inability to close out a victory. In the final minute, Klay Thompson fouled Devin Booker during an inbounds play before the ball was live, Draymond Green traveled after a timeout and Jordan Poole had a questionable halfcourt heave with four seconds left trying to draw three free throws. The awkward ending marred an otherwise sterling effort from the Warriors.
“We just couldn’t close the game, couldn’t finish it out,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I think the main thing, we can come out of that game recognizing our team. That’s our team. It’s a great sign. That’s what it needs to look like from here on out but with a little better decision making offensively.”
The biggest positive that stuck out Wednesday night was the Warriors’ hustle and coordination on defense. The Suns shot just 41.3 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point land as the Warriors snapped an ugly three-game skid of allowing at least 120 points per contest.
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Offensively, perhaps it was no surprise Poole played the starring role. He matched his career highs with 38 points and nine rebounds while also dishing seven assists knocking down 7-of-15 3-pointers. With about a minute left in the game, Poole and Suns veteran Chris Paul could be seen engaging in some healthy back-and-forth banter on the floor.
Poole has scored at least 20 points in 15 straight contests and leads the NBA with 67 made 3-pointers in March. He’s officially arrived in his third season.
“When you get legends like Chris Paul arguing with you and you’re young, that’s a beautiful sign,” Green said of Poole. “That means they know about you. You got them on alert. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t waste his time talking to you. It’s a beautiful sign. He didn’t back down.”
“It’s a playoff atmosphere,” Poole said. “You can’t back down from anything. ... If somebody got something to say, I’ll probably say something back.”
With the victory Wednesday, the Suns evened up the season series at two wins apiece while dropping Golden State to the No. 4 seed. If the Warriors and Suns meet again this postseason, it would likely be in the second round or Western Conference finals.
Aside from closing the game, the Warriors can also clean up some other things from Wednesday like the 21 turnovers and missed shots at the rim. With five games left in the regular season and Steph’s expected return, Golden State doesn’t look to be in postseason form quite yet. The Warriors are getting there, but they’ve still lost four in a row and seven of eight.
“At the end of the game, it’s just about making plays to put us in a position to win,” Poole said.
