Box Score Breakdown | Suns @ Warriors

By Kyle Soppe

Per request of Mike Vadala, I dive into last night’s game between the Phoenix Suns and the host Golden State Warriors. The home team prevailed 102-96 in an anticipated up and down match up that featured very little defense.

Both teams held a double digit lead at some point in this game.

The 102 points from Golden State was their lowest output for the month.

Volume shooter Monta Ellis managed 20+ shots, something he has done in more than half of his games this season. While his points reflect a good game, the often inefficient Ellis and his Warriors are only 5-8 in those games.

Golden State struggled in the first half (43 points) but went on to score nearly 1/3 of their total points in a blistering third quarter.

Steph Curry handed out 5+ assists for the 10th straight game. In seven of those games he has managed at least a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio.

Starting center Andris Biedrins actually hurt the team when he was on the court, as the Suns outscored the Warriors by 10 with Biedrins manning the paint. His replacement, Ekpe Udoh, had a much more positive impact, as the Warriors were 14 points better than Phoenix with him on the floor. He was the only player interested in playing defense, as he swatted three shots in only 22 minutes of action.

Klay Thompson, a rookie from Washington State, scored 10+ points for the fourth time in five games. The marksman has drained 14/19 three pointers over that stretch and has shot at least 50% from the field in every single game this month.

David Lee scored a game high 28 points, the tenth time he has eclipsed the 20 point plateau this year. His team has come out on top in seven of those contests. Lee has also recorded a blocked shot in four straight games, a big number considering there were only five games in all of January in which he blocked a shot.

Dorell Wright, another shooter on this Warriors perimeter based team, attempted only one free throw. Surprisingly, Golden State has won the last five games in which Wright has attempted one or fewer free throws.

On the flip side, Channing Frye continued to settle for outside shots, as he jacked up eight triples. The 6’11” forward has now attempted at least as many three pointers as rebounds grabbed in 43% of the Suns games.

The ageless Grant Hill converted his two three point attempts, while the rest of his team misfired on 20 of 23 treys.

Phoenix out assisted Golden State by 12, the largest difference for a losing team in the past few weeks. Steve Nash had 14 dimes, while the Warriors managed 17 as a team.

The 76ers will get Wednesday’s Box Score Breakdown, but who should I show some love to on Valentines day?