Game Report: Warriors bounce back to beat Suns
Golden State Warriors v Phoenix Suns: Two Key Stats
1. Foul issues keep Suns in the contest
The margin, and especially the first half lead, could have been more had the Warriors stayed disciplined defensively. The Suns finished the game with 35 free throws, connecting on 26 of them (74.3%).
In contrast, Golden State made nine of just 12 attempts (75%). With such a disparity, there was always going to be question marks on certain refereeing calls. Marcus Thompson of The Athletic provided an interesting stat post-game, stating “Curry now has 10 free throws in his last 174 minutes of action”.
Curry now has 10 free throws in his last 174 minutes of game action
— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) December 4, 2021
2. Despite foul issues, the defense wins the day again
The free throw disparity aside, the Warrior defense was again at an elite level, keeping the Suns to just 38.3% from the field (31-81). Although the concern of interior size, or lack thereof, surfaced following Tuesday’s loss, some stats suggest it’s not necessarily the issue it may be made out to be.
The Warriors produced five more blocks than the Suns (8-3) and won the rebounding count by 13 (51-38). In fact, those stats aren’t just isolated to this game, but also to the teams’ first matchup. Golden State won the rebounding count by 16 (51-35) on Tuesday whilst also recording more blocked shots.