Just days after roaring back from 25 points down against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors have delivered another comeback win despite Draymond Green's ejection during Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors trailed by 17 in the first half and lost Green early in the third, but it didn't matter as they recorded a fifth-straight win behind another dominant performance from franchise superstar Stephen Curry.
Warriors withstand Draymond Green ejection for fifth-straight win
Curry kicked into gear after Green's ejection, going for 18 points in the third to get the game back to 93 apiece entering the fourth. The ageless 38-year-old would finish with 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists, finishing as a +21 in the 116-113 victory.
Curry was ably supported by four other Warrior players in double figures, including Brandin Podziemski who had 20 points to continue what's been an incredibly impressive start to the season for the fourth-year guard.
Yaxel Lendeborg looked tired at times on the third game in four nights, and on the back of a 37-point performance against the L.A. Clippers on Sunday, but the 11th overall pick still chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists while going 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
It was there that Golden State arguably won the game, having gone 31-of-37 from the charity stripe compared to 22-of-29 for the visitors. Curry's run of 51 made free-throws came to and end in the final seconds, but Collin Gillespie's half-court heave to send it to overtime came up well short.
Charles Bassey steps up in Draymond Green's absence
Green was ejected for two technical fouls early in the third-quarter. He first pulled down Khaman Maluach after falling to the ground himself on what could have been an offensive foul, before he and long-time villian Dillon Brooks got into an ensuing scuffle which earned both a technical foul.
But Green's exit to the locker room may have been a blessing in disguise for the Warriors as Charles Bassey stepped up and delivered easily his best performance of the season. The NBA journeyman had 19 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench, finishing as a +10 in the three-point win.
Veteran forward Georges Niang was almost important, going for 13 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench, including hitting a go-ahead three in the final four minutes.
It was another impressive win for the Warriors considering it was the third game in four nights, and considering they were without Brandon Williams on top of the ongoing absences of Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody (and Green in the second half).
Their fifth-straight win hits a mark they failed to deliver across the entirety of last season, and they'll now get a deserved rest before hosting the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday.
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