On a cool, rainy Monday night in the desert, the Warriors looked like the team many expect them to be.
The passing and shooting were splendid, the defense savage, the result predictable: a 132-109 victory over the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.
This was the Warriors’ 17th consecutive win over Phoenix. Moreover, their seventh win by at least 20 points, but only the third since the first two weeks of the season.
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Here are some of the positives and negatives from the win that closed out 2018:
POSITIVE
Was it the food?
Jordan Bell came off the bench in the second quarter and made an immediate impact. The 6-foot-9 quasi-center who has been a disappointment this season lit a raging fire beneath his teammates that left the Suns in ashes. He needed less than 16 minutes to score 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, grab six rebounds, block three shots and record two assists. He was the hyperactive, vertical-spacing big man the Warriors have been lacking.
Golden State Warriors
Bell is a huge fan of Mexican food, tacos in particular. There’s plenty of good Mexican food in Arizona. We don’t know what he ate for dinner, but that would explain it.
POSITIVE
3-ball night
Kevin Durant took only four 3-pointers but made three. Stephen Curry was 5-of-9, Quinn Cook 2-of-3, Klay Thompson 2-of-4, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala each 1-of-2. What about Jonas Jerebko? He missed the party, going 0-of-3. Alfonzo McKinnie missed his only shot from deep.
The Warriors shot 50 percent (14-of-28) beyond the arc. They’ve converted at least half their 3-pointers eight times this season, with an 8-0 record in those games.
POSITIVE
Iguodala’s quiet goodness
Ejected and slapped with a $25,000 fine for his actions in the previous game, Iguodala was well behaved and went about his business against Phoenix. His numbers over 22 minutes, from least significant to most: 2 points, one steal, five rebounds, three blocks, six assists and game-high plus-26.
One night after Green was superb while scoring 3 points, Iguodala was no less so while scoring 2. Proof again that points are the worst way to measure them.
NEGATIVE
Weird on the glass
Curry always has been among the best rebounding point guards in the league and he grabbed a team-high nine. But Green and Durant grabbed five – combined. Green finished with a season-low three in 33 minutes, while Durant had a season-low two in 30 minutes.
The Warriors got away with it because Curry and four others took down at least four, but the they have to hope this is a one-game blip
POSITIVE
12 Splendid minutes
Coach Steve Kerr emptied his bench . . . in the second quarter. Eleven different Warriors entered, none playing poorly. They committed one turnover while shooting 60 percent and holding the Suns to 34.8 percent. This was the springboard for the bench scoring 46 points on 54.5-percent shooting. Durant was plus-13 in six minutes, Curry plus-11 in eight. The Warriors outscored Phoenix 38-25.
There are quarters a coach would like to bottle and re-open on demand. This is one.