Suns-Warriors Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Feb 02 2013 2:17AM

Klay Thompson's red-hot shooting over the last two games has helped the Golden State Warriors overcome their leading scorer's absence.

He could be in for another big game against a Phoenix Suns team that's struggled to slow down opponents from long distance.

With Stephen Curry's status unknown, the Warriors go for a fourth consecutive win and fourth in a row over the visiting Suns on Saturday night.

While many weren't sure what to expect from coach Mark Jackson's team with Curry (21.0 ppg) sidelined due to a sprained right ankle, Golden State (29-17) hasn't missed a beat thanks in large part to Thompson.

The former Washington State standout, averaging 16.7 points in his second season, scored a career-high 32 in Tuesday's 108-95 win at Cleveland, then put up 27 two nights later as the Warriors got past Dallas 100-97. Thompson, who's shot 24 of 42 (57.1 percent), including 9 of 15 (60.0 percent) from beyond the arc, in those wins, ranks third in the NBA with 126 made 3-pointers - just behind Curry's 133.

"I think he's been great all year long - with Curry on the floor or not," Jackson said of Thompson, who's averaging 21.9 points over his last nine games. "He's a knockdown shooter, as good as it gets. He's got great size, defends his tail off and he understands that we need him to score more without Steph on the floor. Lately, he's been spectacular."

Thompson has to like his chances of keeping things going versus Phoenix (16-31), which is allowing teams to shoot 38.3 percent from 3-point range to rank 29th in the league. Besides slowing down Thompson, the Suns could have their hands full down low with David Lee and Andrew Bogut.

Lee, who leads the league with 30 double-doubles, had 15 points, a season-high 20 rebounds and nine assists against the Mavericks. Playing for the second time since returning from a 38-game absence due to an ankle injury, Bogut scored just eight but recorded three blocks, including one to prevent the potential go-ahead basket with six seconds left.

"Defense is where I'm most valuable to this team," said the Australian big man. "I'm looking forward to scoring more here, but that not might be my role. I don't mind that, some games I'll get more touches than other but right now I'm most interested in doing what's best for the team."

Winners of six of eight, the Warriors had dropped 11 of 12 in this series before taking the last three, including a season-opening 87-85 road victory Oct. 31.

Sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Division, Phoenix enters Saturday hoping to avoid a fourth loss in five games after falling 109-99 to Dallas the night before. Shannon Brown scored 20 points off the bench and Goran Dragic posted 19, nine assists and a season-high eight rebounds for the Suns, who stayed close before yielding 35 points in the fourth quarter.

"We are still young in this process and you kind of expect things like that to happen," interim coach Lindsey Hunter said of his team's inability to get stops down the stretch. "I know what lies ahead of us and I know how hard it is, just trying to get everybody collectively as a group to understand that you have to do it together."

Phoenix, which is 2-9 in the second of back-to-backs, has dropped 14 of 16 on the road while allowing 103.5 points per game. The Warriors are 14-2 at home when scoring at least 96.

Curry helps Warriors to a 113-93 win over Suns

By RICK EYMER
Posted Feb 03 2013 2:25AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry started campaigning early, sending several signals out to coach Mark Jackson for playing time.

"He was ignoring me, turning his back on me and giving me that look my kids give me when they want something special for Christmas," Jackson said. "He wanted badly to be out on the floor."

Curry returned after missing two games with an ankle injury and scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half, helping the Golden State Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 113-93 on Saturday night.

"I've been through that same conversation with him three times," Curry said of Jackson. "I put up a good fight today. I was 0 for 2 before that. It was not really a pain issue but a swelling issue. I gave it all day to lessen and then conferred with the trainers to get the OK."

Jackson was unsure if Curry would be available until watching him during the shootaround.

"We went with him and he had a heck of a ballgame," he said.

Harrison Barnes matched his season high with 21 points for the Warriors, who have won four straight and seven of nine overall. David Lee had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 17 points and Andrew Bogut finished with 11.

"Not enough credit goes to Barnes," Jackson said. "Here's a rookie who is playing a huge role in us being 13 games over .500. He is competing."

Curry, who twisted his right ankle in the third quarter of Monday night's win over Toronto, was 6 for 10 from 3-point range as Golden State beat Phoenix for the fourth straight time.

"We were a little lackadaisical in the first half," Curry said. "We didn't have a lot of energy. I got some open looks, we got some stops and we were able to go in transition."

The Warriors recorded a season-high 34 assists and had four players - Curry, Lee, Thompson and Jarrett Jack - with at least seven for the first time in franchise history and the first time in the NBA since Nov. 24, 2006, when the Denver Nuggets did it against the Warriors.

Michael Beasley scored 24 points for the Suns, who have dropped four of five. Jared Dudley added 16 points, Goran Dragic scored 13 and Luis Scola had 14 rebounds.

"They came out hard, they throw the first punch and we were kind of soft out there," Dragic said. "That's the first thing we gotta work on. Certain players just played soft today. Usually their nature is playing hard but on certain people we just can't help it anymore. We made a lot of mistakes today. We didn't share the ball, we held the ball for too long again and tried to create on our own."

Phoenix led 52-48 at halftime, but Curry and Barnes combined for 20 points in the third quarter to send the Warriors into the final period with an 81-74 advantage.

Golden State extended its lead with three quick baskets to open the fourth, including a 3-pointer from Curry, who also stole the ball and fed Jack for a layup that forced the Suns to call a timeout.

"Those guards are snipers and if you make any mistake defensively they make you pay," Suns coach Lindsey Hunter said. "They made us pay. Those guys shot the lights out."

The Suns went nearly three minutes without scoring in the quarter, falling behind 90-74.

Dragic converted a three-point play early in the third quarter to give Phoenix a 58-48 lead.

That's when Curry and Barnes heated up, leading the Warriors on a 32-12 surge that gave Golden State an 81-70 edge entering the final minute of the third.

NOTES: It was the 13th consecutive home sellout for Golden State. ... The Suns have beaten the Warriors more times (85) than any other NBA team. ... Suns C Marcin Gortat had seven rebounds in the first quarter and two more the rest of the game. ... The Suns have the fewest road victories (four) in the Western Conference. ... The Warriors reached their 30th win the earliest, calendar-wise, since the 1975-76 team started 30-9.

Notebook: Warriors 113, Suns 93

Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:49 AM - Updated Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:49 AM

THE FACTS: Stephen Curry returned from a two-game absence due to another right ankle sprain to provide a game-high 29 points and eight assists in the Golden State Warriors' 113-93 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Warriors rookie forward Harrison Barnes tied his career high with 21 points, while David Lee added 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. That helped ensure Golden State will take a four-game winning streak into a four-game road trip next week against some of the Western Conference's elite competition, including stops in Oklahoma City and Memphis.

Michael Beasley led Phoenix with 24 points, although he needed 23 shot attempts to get there. The Suns have now lost four of five since greeting interim coach Lindsey Hunter with a two-game winning streak.

QUOTABLE: "Earlier today, he was pleading, but I just wanted to use wisdom and make sure it was the right thing to do. The worst thing to do was to rush him out there and then we have something else to deal with. We have a bunch of games coming up and we wanted to be smart. . . . He had a heck of a ball game."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

THE STAT: Golden State drilled Phoenix for 66 points in the paint, the most the Warriors have scored and the most the Suns have allowed this season. The Warriors weren't bad outside the lane, either, shooting 9-for-19 on 3-pointers.

TURNING POINT: Although Phoenix led 52-48 at the half, it didn't feel particularly sustainable, since it was fueled to such an extent by the Suns' 19 points off nine Golden State turnovers. It proved to be so in the third quarter. The Suns took a 58-48 lead 92 seconds after halftime by converting David Lee's stolen pass into a three-point play by Goran Dragic. But the Warriors didn't cough the ball up for the rest of the period, which helped fuel a 30-10 run that blew the game wide open.

HOT: When Curry sprained his right ankle in mid-January, he struggled with his shooting touch in his first game back, going 5-for-17 in a 116-112 win at New Orleans. Saturday opened in the same vein, but Curry came alive in the second half, going 7-for-12 and 4-for-5 from deep en route to 19 points after intermission.

QUOTABLE II: "This is the third time this season we've had this back-and-forth, about how I feel versus what the trainers are saying, and when the right time to come back was. I put up a good fight today."
-- Stephen Curry

NOT: Beasley and Luis Scola split time at one of Phoenix's frontcourt spots in the third quarter and the Suns got a scoreless 0-for-7 shooting performance to show for it.

ROOKIE WATCH: Barnes is often a third or fourth option in the Warriors' offense, but he made the most of his opportunities Saturday, consistently storming through Phoenix defenders en route to a 9-for-11 night where all but two of the shots came from inside eight feet.

GOOD MOVE: The Warriors have taken of late to putting 6-foot-7 shooting guard Klay Thompson on the opponent's point guard, but after Dragic keyed the Suns' offense with 10 points and three assists in the first half, coach Mark Jackson went back to using Curry straight up instead of cross-matching. Dragic was limited to three points the rest of the way.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Lee has now become the first player to put up at least 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in four consecutive games since Kevin Garnett did it for Minnesota in April 2003.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was plenty of cheering from fans in the second quarter when the Warirors put up a video-board message wishing the San Francisco 49ers good luck in Super Bowl XLVII tomorrow. But there was an undercurrent of clearly audible boos as well -- possibly Oakland Raiders supporters or disaffected Golden State fans unhappy over the team's planned move to San Francisco in 2017.

NOTABLE: Curry, Lee, Jarrett Jack and Thompson all had at least seven assists -- marking the first time the Warriors had done that in franchise history. . . . At 30-17, the Warriors reached the 30-win plateau earlier than in any season since 1975-76, when they were 30-9 on Jan. 16. . . . Golden State was credited with a 13th consecutive sellout, the longest such streak since renovations in 1996-97 expanded Oracle Arena to a 19,596 capacity. The Warriors sold out the old 15,025-seat Coliseum Arena for 301 straight games from 1989-96.

UP NEXT: For the Suns, Tuesday at Memphis, Wednesday at New Orleans, Friday at Oklahoma City. For the Warriors, Tuesday at Houston, Wednesday at Oklahoma City, Friday at Memphis.

• Suns: Frye, O'Neal
• Warriors: Rush, Tyler

• Suns: Tucker
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #30 John Goble, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:08