NBA: Warriors outplay the Suns on the road to take the league's top spot
Phoenix, Arizona - The Golden State Warriors renewed their season-long battle with the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day, coming out victorious and taking over the NBA’s best record in the process.
The Warriors beat the Suns 116-107 for their third win in a row and sixth in the last seven matches.
Phoenix has their five-game winning streak snapped with the loss.
Golden State wanted this game from the beginning and took control early with a 33-27 lead after the first quarter.
But the Suns turned things around during the second quarter, going into halftime up by four, 62-58.
It was a closer battle in the third and the Warriors did just enough to knot things up as the game headed into the fourth quarter.
Golden State was able to cruise through the quarter as shot after shot seemed to fall in their favor.
The fire simply ran out for Phoenix while their offensive efforts couldn’t match the Warriors’ firepower by the final buzzer.
The player spotlight
Once again, it was Stephen Curry (33) in control for the Warriors in this mega-battle against the Suns.
The league’s leading scorer actually wasn't at his superhuman best, missing nearly twice as many attempts as he made. But even when he's not quite on fire, Curry is still able to do his usual damage from long-distance.
Curry was 10-for-27 overall from the field, including five out of 16 from the three-point range, for a game-high 33 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
The big picture
At 27-6, the Warriors have regained the NBA’s best record from the Suns.
They’ve now beaten Phoenix twice out of three matchups this year.
With the way both teams are playing, this probably won't be the end of a season-defining rivalry, but Golden State clearly has the upper hand here.
The Warriors aren't even playing with a complete roster. With the return of Klay Thompson in sight, Golden State is very likely to run away with the top spot in the west in January.
On Tuesday, the Warriors will be back at home to take on the Nuggets while on Monday, the Suns will host the Grizzlies.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire