SAN FRANCISCO – Playing the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four nights, the Warriors looked exhausted against the Phoenix Suns Monday night at Chase Center.
Jumping on the back of Steph Curry, the Warriors were able to achieve what they couldn’t achieve last season. They have not had a single five-game winning streak during the 2025-26 season. They’re doing it now in the 2026-27 campaign, winning five straight after an 0-3 start to the season, erasing a 17-point deficit to beat the Suns 116-113.
Curry and Draymond Green returned from the previous night’s rest. Green was ineffective and ejected in the third quarter. Curry started slowly, then exploded to score a game-high 34 points.
In his last three games, Curry has now scored 44, 31 and 34 points. He now averages exactly 30 points this season at 38 in his 18th year.
Brandin Podziemski added 20 points, Charles Bassey was a shock by scoring a career-high 19 points coming off the bench and Yaxel Lendeborg followed his 37-point performance with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ fifth straight victory.
Make or Miss the League
Sometimes games can be as simple as shots falling and not falling. The Warriors became 3-point happy to start the game, making seven of their first eight shots from beyond the arc and making only two. They shot 33.3 percent overall in the first quarter (8 of 24) and went a modest 2 of 15 on 3-pointers (13.3 percent).
The Suns also made two threes in the first quarter, but the Warriors attempted 10 more than them and trailed by 12 points in the first 12 minutes. When it looked like the game might spiral out of control with a 16-point deficit, the Warriors responded with a 12-0 run late in the second quarter. They went 5 of 11 from three in the second quarter while taking care of the ball and made it a six-point game by halftime.
As Curry advances, everyone else usually follows. This is how it unsurprisingly played out against the Suns. The Warriors scored 19 points in the first quarter, 32 in the second and then 42 in the third to make it a tie game going into the fourth quarter. As it happened, Curry found his momentum in the third quarter and the Warriors went 5 of 10 from three in the frame.
The Warriors created good shots and minimized their turnovers for a winning recipe. They made four fewer shots than the Suns, but made two more threes than them, made nine more free throws than them and turned the ball over two fewer times to win each of the final three quarters.
Steph finds her rise to power
There were various reasons why the Warriors opted to sit Curry and Green on the first night of a back-to-back instead of the second. The Warriors had just returned from a three-game road trip and they needed Curry’s 31 points in 31 minutes to beat the Los Angeles Lakers. He also looked rested Monday night, scoring the first three points of the game for the Warriors.
But Curry didn’t make another shot the rest of the quarter and made only one shot — but not out of three — in the first half. Curry entered halftime with nine points on 2-of-7 shooting, doing most of his damage at the free throw line. Right on cue, Curry made a three 15 seconds into the third quarter.
In the first half, it seemed like Curry couldn’t find his spark. Then the third quarter started and Curry scored 18 points in over eight minutes. All of a sudden it was 27 points, and the Warriors regained momentum and momentum.
Golden State’s lead was lost with Curry on the bench in the fourth quarter. Curry returned at 4:48 and the Warriors outscored the Suns 12-9 for the rest of the game.
More Bassey Ball
On the Warriors’ next possession after Green was ejected, Bassey came in and continued the kind of impact he had had all game. Bassey played through contact for a layup, and although he missed his free throw, he assisted Curry for a three the next time down the court.
Bassey tied Curry as the Warriors’ leading scorer in the first half and was one of their two players to have multiple offensive rebounds. How many other players, besides Lendeborg, do the Warriors have that possess size and can make plays like these?
Using Lendeborg as a ball handler, he and Bassey created quick chemistry for easy baskets and exciting lobs.
In the last game these two teams faced, Bassey shined off the bench with 10 points and seven rebounds. He also grabbed 10 rebounds Sunday night in a spot start. As a team that lacks size and athleticism, Bassey continues to show why it could earn more opportunities.
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