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Thanksgiving dinner and two days off weren\u2019t a successful recipe for the Warriors to snap their losing streak, as they fell\u00a0113-105 Saturday night to the Phoenix Suns\u00a0at Footprint Center.<\/p>\n
The Warriors have lost four consecutive games,\u00a0dropping them to 12-7 this season.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t for a lack of fight, though.<\/p>\n
The Warriors went on a 13-3 run down the stretch, turning what looked to be a blowout into a battle to the final minute. But it was too little, too late. They outscored the Suns by 10 in the third quarter and won the second half by nine points. A 17-point halftime hole buried Golden State on the road.<\/p>\n
Steph Curry scored 23 points but on 8-of-21 shooting and 3 of 10 beyond the arc, with 21 of his points coming in the second half.<\/p>\n
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors\u2019 latest loss.<\/p>\n
Out goes Lindy Waters, and in comes Brandin Podziemski. As coach Steve Kerr looked for answers to snap the Warriors\u2019 losing streak, he trotted out another new starting lineup. The Warriors have played 19 games and used 10 different starting lineups.<\/p>\n
Curry, Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis got the call for the first time together, and were solid together, though Kevon Looney did replace Jackson-Davis to start the second half.<\/p>\n
Podziemski\u2019s decisiveness has taken a back seat this season as he has struggled shooting. How he began Saturday night in Phoenix is exactly what Kerr wants to see. By the time he went to the bench at the 5:50 mark, Podziemski already had eight points, two rebounds and one assist, going a perfect 3 of 3 from the field while making both his 3-point attempts with the Warriors up 18-16.<\/p>\n
\nPodz gets a friendly roll \ud83d\udc4c\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/oK9tA2WKvk<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)\u00a0December 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThe bank stays open on Saturday \ud83e\udd11\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/ne3jm0hNro<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)\u00a0December 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Podziemski’s two first-quarter threes were the most he has made in an entire game in exactly one month when he made two 3-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 30. Podziemski wound up stuffing the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists against the Suns, a big step forward for the young guard.<\/p>\n
Scorching-Hot Suns<\/strong><\/h2>\n
From the stats and the eye test, the first half Saturday night looked like the Suns\u2019 offense was scrimmaging their G League affiliate the way the Warriors\u2019 defense was playing. The strategy was simple, and the Suns could not miss.<\/p>\n
They\u2019d drive and the Warriors would collapse as a team, causing kickouts, great ball movement and a barrage of threes. The Suns made 23 shots in the first half and collected 21 assists. That\u2019s absurd efficiency.<\/p>\n
Through the first two quarters as the Suns held a 17-point lead, they made 14 threes, double the amount of their misses. The Suns had an 18-point advantage from deep, which made all the difference. At halftime, six Suns had made a 3-pointer \u2013 all of which made multiple threes.<\/p>\n
Golden State made the right adjustments in the second half, starting in the third quarter when Phoenix made only two of its eight 3-pointers. The Suns then made two of their six threes in the fourth quarter, far from their stellar first half.<\/p>\n
Steph\u2019s Slow Starts Hurts<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Curry\u2019s return from bilateral knee pain took some time to knock the rust off. Too much time.<\/p>\n
Off the dribble, Curry couldn\u2019t get by his defenders early on. He couldn\u2019t cash in from deep either. Curry in the first quarter took two shots and missed both. In the second quarter, he tried three more times and failed to connect.<\/p>\n
That gave him two points \u2013 both from free throws \u2013 at halftime without a single made shot on five attempts. His age and health looked evident, and even a bit concerning. Until the third quarter.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no mistake that once Curry got going, so did the Warriors. They outscored the Suns 29-19 in the third quarter to cut their deficit to only seven points while Curry scored 15 points in the quarter, going 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 3 on 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
\nSteph gets the Dubs within five \ud83e\udee3\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/aI7cJtHZTy<\/a><\/p>\n