What we learned as Steph Curry goes cold in Warriors' season-ending loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The epilogue of this agonizing Warriors’ season came Friday night and, appropriately, was a microcosm of their regular season, with a hail of turnovers and several players displaying visible signs of discomfort.
Golden State’s offseason began immediately after a 111-96 loss in the NBA play-in tournament finale to the younger, quicker Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
Stephen Curry gritted his teeth long enough to play 36 minutes, scoring 17 points, with Brandin Podziemski producing a team-high 23. Kristaps Porzingis, questionable with right ankle soreness until an hour before tipoff, limped through 15 minutes to score 11 points before retiring for the night.
The Warriors head into the offseason while the Suns advance to play a first-round playoff series against the defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are three takeaways from a night that spins the Warriors into an offseason rife with questions in search of solutions:
Warriors lose the battle of No. 2s
With Curry and Suns star Devin Booker, the featured performers for their teams, basically offsetting each other, the outcome rested on which team would get the most production from its No. 2 scorer.
The Suns won that contest in a runaway. Jalen Green blistered the Warriors for a game-high 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field, including 8 of 14 from beyond the arc. Playing 39 minutes, he posted a plus-21.
Green’s eight triples nearly equaled Golden State’s total of 11 and made him the central figure in the Suns posting a decisive advantage in 3-point makes (18-11).
No one on the Warriors came close. The three players, aside from Curry, to score in double figures were Podziemski, Porzingis and De’Anthony Melton (16 points).
Curry’s 17 points came on 4-of-16 shooting from the field, including 3 of 10 from distance, and Booker finished with 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, including 0 of 4 from deep.
Grotesque beginnings
The Warriors this season put forth countless sour first quarters, but they might have bottomed themselves in this game.
The first five minutes alone featured six Golden State turnovers, including three by Podziemski; Gui Santos losing his dribble without pressure, Porzingis missing a dunk and Curry dribble-driving out of bounds.
By the time the buzzer sounded to end the quarter, the Warriors had committed nine turnovers, giving Phoenix 13 free points; shot 30 percent from the field, including 11.1 percent from distance; been outscored 8-0 in transition, and were trailing by 18 (33-15).
With a symphony of poor shooting, botched possessions, curious decision-making and charitable donations, Golden State dug itself a massive hole and spent the next 36 minutes playing from behind and never catching up.
When it was all said and done, the Warriors committed 20 turnovers and the Suns scored a staggering 30 points off those giveaways.
The two Podziemskis
No player on the Warriors gets more public love and hate from the fan base than Podziemski, who, in this game, exhibited a masterclass demonstration of things to love and hate.
It’s easy for Dub Nation to be pleased by the Podziemski, who delivered a terrific second quarter that was crucial in keeping the Warriors within distance of the Suns. He contributed 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including a 3-pointer, and three rebounds. He was plus-14 over 11 minutes.
It’s not so easy for the fan base to enjoy the Podziemski, who committed two turnovers in a 13-second span immediately after and impetuously tried a solo fast break against three defenders and failing in what the Golden State coaches consider a “shot turnover.” He did not record an assist.
In addition to his 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including 3 of 5 from deep, Podziemski grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
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