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Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant knew what his former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry would do in the closing seconds with the game on the line.
Yet Durant and the Suns couldn’t stop the inevitable.
“We were this close to the steal but that’s the NBA,” Durant told reporters after Curry buried the game-winner in the Warriors’ 113-112 squeaker over the Suns on Saturday, February 10. “It’s a game of chance and that’s all [Curry] needs and he’s an all-time great — the greatest ever at his position, top five in the world, I mean top five ever. You give him a look like that for the game, he’s licking his chops. I still think we could’ve had that steal. It’s a tough play. Sometimes guys are just that great.”
It was Curry’s 10th game-winner in his career, adding another signature moment to his Hall of Fame ledger.
Steph Curry’s Muscle Memory
Curry’s 27-footer in the thriller just came out naturally from him.
“It’s just muscle memory,” Curry told reporters afterward. “Just shoot it and you live with it and thankfully it worked out.”
Suns guard Bradley Beal gambled and tried to go for the steal. But the Warriors executed with perfection starting from rookie Brandin Podziemski’s inbound pass to Draymond Green’s screen to give Curry the inch of space he needs.
“It was a horrible gamble,” Beal told reporters. “He’s the best to ever shoot it. So you know the result after that.”
“We were due for one of these tight games to go our way but the guys earned it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters afterward. “I mean it didn’t just happen. Steph made an incredible shot, Brandin made a fantastic pass on that play reading Bradley Beal’s jump in the passing lane and he got it past him.”
It was the Warriors’ 35th clutch game and the win pushed their record in those tight situations to 17-18.
The momentum has finally swung to Golden State, winners of its last four games, as it barged into the West’s top 10 with an even 25-25 record.
Strength in Numbers
Curry sank 9 of 16 3-pointers en route to scoring 30 to pace the surging Warriors. Over his last two games, he’s had 20 3s.
As a team, the Warriors hit 17 of 41 3-pointers, a solid 41.5% accuracy. The Suns only hit 11 of 34 from downtown.
Phoenix’s Big 3, as expected, scored the bulk of the Suns’ points. Devin Booker led them with 32, Durant added 25 and Beal chipped in 15. Only Grayson Allen was the other Phoenix player in double figures with 10 points.
Booker put the Suns ahead for the final time 112-110 lead with 35 seconds left on a jumper.
But Curry, who had plenty of help, was not to be denied.
Jonathan Kuminga continued his rise with 21 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Four more Golden State players scored more than 10 in a well-balanced attack.
Green flirted with a triple-double with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Andrew Wiggins had 12 while Gary Payton II added 11 in his return from injury.
Podziemski mirrored Green’s all-around game with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
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