PHOENIX (AP) — The Golden State Warriors kept it close despite being short-handed, setting the stage for a player to take over down the stretch.
Curry had 33 points, Porter scored seven of his 19 during a key late stretch and the Warriors regained to top spot in the NBA from Phoenix, beating the Suns 116-107 on Saturday.
“I drew up every play, I completely organized every aspect of it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said sarcastically. “Otto was great. He’s just added so much to our team with his shooting from that position and his rebounding and defense.”
Golden State arrived in the desert short-handed, missing three of its top four scorers to health and safety protocols: Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole.
Curry carried most of the load, overcoming a mediocre shooting night to crack 20 points for the first time in nine Christmas games. He finished 10 for 27, including 5 for 16 from 3 to help the Warriors end Phoenix’s 15-game home winning streak.
Porter hit a step-back 3 and a pair of jumpers in a span of 1:02.
“Coach drew up a couple plays that freed me open,” Porter said. “Did a good job of finding me, was able to find a rhythm.”
The Suns had their chances, keeping it close until the closing minutes in a raucous home atmosphere. They couldn’t close it out, failing to score over the final 3:01 to lose for the third time in 28 games.
Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists to take up some of the slack from leading scorer Devin Booker, who was held to 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Deandre Ayton added 18 points and Mikal Bridges 17.
“They created those breaks. They played harder than us,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “It’s rare when I say that about our team. They outworked us more consistently for 50-50 balls, timely offensive rebounds, diving out of bounds to save balls.”
The two teams with the NBA’s best records played in just the third Christmas game in which both teams had a winning percentage of at least .800.
Playing on Christmas is nothing new to the Warriors. This was their ninth straight Christmas Day game and 11th in 12 seasons. The Suns, once regulars on the Christmas schedule, were in their first since 2009.