Resurgent Warriors blast Suns for 4th straight win

 

 

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Golden State Warriors’ resurgence continued with a 105-96 come-from-behind win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA on Friday, December 27 (Saturday, December 28, Philippine time).

D’Angelo Russell scored 31 points and handed out 6 assists for the Warriors, who trailed most of the night and erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit on the way to their fourth straight win –  just their ninth of a season marred by multiple injuries.

Damion Lee fired 16 points and Alec Burks chipped in 13 for the Warriors, the former champions now running dead-last in the Western Conference (9-24).

 

 

“Whole team effort.” pic.twitter.com/T4SgcpbPbJ

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 28, 2019

 

 

The Warriors – who shocked James Harden and Russell Westbrook’s Houston Rockets in a dominating Christmas win – trailed the Suns most of the second half and still faced a 12-point deficit, 69-80, early in the 4th quarter.

But Russell sparked the late charge and Burks also came through, including a key bucket that opened a decisive 8-0 run for a 95-89 Warriors lead. 

“It’s a whole team effort,” said Russell.

Draymond Green added 11 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, and 3 blocks for the Warriors. 

Devin Booker shot a game-high 34 points to pace the Suns (11-20), who drubbed the Warriors in their October meeting.  

Magic escape Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers, though, were unable to build on their upset of the Milwaukee Bucks, falling 98-97 to the Magic in Orlando.

Sixers center Joel Embiid drained two three-pointers in the final 25 seconds, but his desperate long-range effort as time expired wouldn’t fall and the Magic escaped with the win.

Orlando had stymied Embiid for much of the night, holding the All-Star center to 24 points. He was scoreless in the 2nd quarter and scored just 6 points in the 4th.

“I think that the physicality that Orlando played with, I give them credit, I don’t think that we responded to it at all,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said.

Evan Fournier led Orlando with 20 points. Aaron Gordon added 19, Terrence Ross had 17 and Nikola Vucevic 16 for a Magic team holding down 8th place in the East.  

Thunder also survive thriller

It was likewise close in Charlotte, where the Oklahoma City Thunder survived a fourth-quarter comeback from the Hornets to triumph 104-102 in overtime.

Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham tied the score in the waning seconds of regulation.

But after the horn, Terry Rozier, apparently thinking the game was over, tossed the ball into the stands and was assessed a technical foul.

That let Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul take a free throw that put them up 95-94 before the clock even started ticking on overtime, and the Thunder would never trail in the extra session. – Rappler.com