Short-handed Warriors crush Suns heart with extraordinary late-game steal

The Golden State Warriors have produced an extraordinary comeback in their first game after the trade deadline, stealing a 101-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on Thursday night.

All hope look lost for the Warriors when they trailed by 14 early in the fourth-quarter, but they held the Suns to just seven points over the final 10 minutes (and only two points in the final 7:20) and finished on a 22-5 run despite the absence of stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

Warriors crush Suns heart with crazy late-game comeback

Golden State came out firing away from beyond the arc, with 30 of their first 40 field-goal attempts coming from 3-point range. It actually worked in building a 59-55 lead as Pat Spencer incredibly drilled five 3-pointers as part of 15 as a team through the first 24 minutes.

Yet after scoring only 16 points in the third-quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at home earlier in the week, the Warriors scored only 17 in the same period on Thursday night as the Suns took control late in the period.

When Collin Gillespie drilled a three to force a Steve Kerr timeout less than two minutes into the fourth, Phoenix had all the momentum and looked like running away with a comfortable win despite Devin Booker and Jalen Green sitting on the sidelines.

Golden State were hardly electric offensively down the stretch, but they whittled away the margin and eventually tied the scores in the final minute when De'Anthony Melton finished a tough driving layup. Moses Moody followed that with a clutch block on Gillespie's drive, leading to a Gui Santos leak out that gave the Warriors the lead.

Dillon Brooks' potential game-winning step-back three went awry, and a mad scramble eventually finished with Melton who put the finishing touches on with another layup right at the buzzer. The Warriors stole the game out of almost nowhere, and with it ended a two-game losing streak.

Spencer finished with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, while also adding six rebounds and four assists as the starting point guard in over 32 minutes. It was coincidentally Spencer's last game of eligibility on his two-way contract, but the franchise will undoubtedly convert him immedietly to the main roster after opening up two spots before the deadline.

Santos continued his impressive recent form with 18 points, four rebounds and seven assists on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range, while Melton had 17 points and three steals in his first start of the season.

Veterans Gary Payton II (15 points, eight rebounds) and Al Horford (13 points, four rebounds and four blocks) were massive off the bench, but it was the Warrior defense that stood up down the stretch to claim an incredible victory.

The Warriors could regain Curry when they face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Saturday night, with Kristaps Porzingis to link up with the team on Friday after his trade to the franchise on Wednesday.