Warriors Rally In Second Half to Beat Suns 111-107

Apr 5, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) and Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley (0) reach for a rebound in the first half at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

I’m sure every single Warriors fan is sighing of relief, as the Warrior did just enough tonight to put the Phoenix Suns away. Down by 14 at the end of the first quarter, and at one point 18, the Warriors made a fierce rally to ensure that they wouldn’t drop to 7th place. Neverthless, it was a hard-fought win, although it shouldn’t have been, and the Warriors were able to get it done. The Magic Number is now at 2.

In the first quarter of this game, the Warriors goal was to get Klay Thompson going. Curry got him a wide-open dunk, trying to get his partner going. Thompson finished with 25 points and 4 steal, while Curry had 18 points and 14 assists. The game was fast-paced and back and fourth, but the Warriors had the small edge. They were playing interior defense, but making up for it by scoring in the paint on the other end of the floor. After the Suns began to catch some fire on a 22-8 run, they lead by 14 at the end of the first. At this point, Michael Beasley had 11 points in 4 minutes.

In the second quarter, the Warriors began to pull back into the game slowly, possession by possession. Thanks to some hot shooting and good defense, they pulled to a 46-41 deficit mid quarter. Again, their defense faltered, and Beasley and Dragic went on a rampage. The Suns lead 64-55 at half time. Goran Dragic had 21, and Michael Beasley had 19, all while the Suns shot 66% from the field.

In the third quarter, the pace was pretty even, but the Warriors suddenly charged to a 19-4 run, and retook the lead with 5:30 remaining in the quarter. Klay Thompson was on fire, breaking out of his slump with 25 points. The Warriors built to an 11 point lead, but were eventually up 87-78 at the end of the third.

To start the final period of play, the Suns went on an 8-0 run, slicing the lead to 1. From then on out, it was pretty evenly paced. After the Warriors made some costly mistakes late, however, Jarrett Jack bailed them out with a huge 3-pointer from the top of the key, to put them up by 5 with 31 seconds remaining.

After Jermaine O’Neal split a pair of free throws, the Warriors secured the ball. Now all they had to do was make their free throws. Unfortunately, Curry didn’t get the memo and turned the ball over without even dribbling. The Suns failed to capitalize on this opportunity, and the Warriors came away with the win.