The Phoenix Suns picked up the most impressive victory of their season on Tuesday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 104-96. It was a blockbuster matchup, as the Suns entered the game on a 16-game winning streak and in second place in the Western Conference. The Warriors were pacing the conference and league as a whole on a seven-game winning streak with a record of 18-3.
The Suns have since taken over that top spot, as they defeated the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night to move to 19-3 on the season and first place in the NBA. Phoenix defeated Detroit 114-103 but there were some bumps along the way.
The Pistons came out strong after halftime, winning the third quarter by 12 points and cutting the Phoenix Suns lead down to six heading into the fourth quarter. Five points would be the closest that Detroit got, as the Suns were able to hold them off and steady the ship just enough in the fourth quarter.
Veteran point guard Chris Paul, who finished the game with 12 points, 12 assists, and two steals, was happy to get the record-setting 18th win in a row but knows the team is capable of better.
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“But for us, I think it’s always about the feeling of making sure we’re playing the game the right way,” Paul said. “We always talk about we have a standard. We say this every night and a win is a win but we feel like we could have played better.”
Phoenix was without All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker in this one. Booker suffered a hamstring injury against the Warriors on Tuesday night and will be sidelined a few days recovering from it.
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His teammates certainly picked up the slack without him as the scoring load was spread out amongst multiple players. Seven out of the eight rotation players scored in double-figures, led by 19 points apiece for Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson off the bench.
“We have guys that can score the ball across all the lineups,” Johnson said. “Book puts a lot of points up on the board every night. We’re a team that we’re going to find buckets other ways when we need to and that’s what we did tonight.”
A rematch now looms with the Warriors, a game that got changed to national television once again. It is a game that Johnson is looking forward to.
“A team that we just played and beat at home, we get to go to their place, a division game. It’s a lot on the line,” Johnson said. “This is what playing in the NBA is about. Going into these environments with these implications. Granted it’s a December game, but it means a lot. It means a lot to us to continue this streak. It’s gonna be a fun one.”
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Golden State will be out for some revenge after they lost the first matchup earlier in the week. Traveling on the second night of a back-to-back is never an easy task, but the Phoenix Suns have proven they are up for any challenge. Friday’s game should be another great matchup between the two juggernauts of the league.
