Warriors at Suns
Klay Thompson finally found his shooting stroke, putting the Golden State Warriors in the win column once again. Thompson will try to put together back-to-back solid games and help the Warriors end 2018 strong when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
Thompson went 10-of-48 from 3-point range during an eight-game stretch before knocking down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points in a 115-105 win at Portland on Saturday - his second-highest point total of the season. "Just, 'I missed you,'" Thompson told reporters of his message to his right hand after knocking down a shot in the win. "'It's good to see you again.' It's been a five-game absence or so where he hasn't been the same. So, to finally see the ball go in at a high rate felt really good. Just keep being aggressive and hopefully get on a great roll from here." The Suns dropped four of their last five following a four-game winning streak but recovered from an early 20-point hole and pushed the West-leading Denver Nuggets to the brink in a 122-118 home setback on Saturday. "We keep reaching, keep talking about it, keep re-emphasizing how important it is to start the game," Phoenix coach Igor Kokoskov told reporters. "We'll dig into the problem and try to figure it out. We can't change the team. We love our team, but the starters got to come out with a better mindset. Defend first."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS Arizona
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (24-13): None of Thompson's teammates were concerned that he would break out of the slump eventually and were not surprised at Saturday's outburst. "He's just enjoying himself," Warriors point guard Stephen Curry told reporters of Thompson. "Playing basketball, that's what he loves to do. And, obviously, it means a lot to him to play well and to work through some tough, tough games. Cause every time he's out there, he wants to produce and perform at a high level." Thompson, Curry and Kevin Durant combined for 82 points in Saturday's win despite Curry and Durant struggling from the outside (2-of-9 combined from beyond the arc).
ABOUT THE SUNS (9-28): Phoenix worked its way out of the 20-point deficit after the first quarter behind rookie center Deandre Ayton, who scored 24 of his season-high 33 points in the second quarter. "It's just a mindset," Ayton, who scored 18 straight points for the Suns in the second, told reporters. "There's just a certain pride. The 'Time to Rise' (Suns motto), to me, that's something I take deeply. You just have to live up to that type of name. This is our home court. I don't expect guys to come up here and think they can just beat us like that." Ayton went 16-of-20 from the field in the loss and added 14 rebounds for his 22nd double-double.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors SF Kevon Looney is 32-of-44 from the floor over the last eight games.
2. Suns SG Devin Booker collected at least 25 points and eight assists in each of the last six contests.
3. Curry led the way with 29 points in Golden State's 123-103 win over Phoenix on Oct. 22 - its 16th consecutive victory in the series.