Will Richard sends clear message to Steve Kerr after controversial benching

Will Richard has wasted no time in sending a clear message to Steve Kerr in his return to the rotation on Saturday night, playing a huge role as the Golden State Warriors snapped their three-game losing streak with a 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center.

The rookie guard had controversially been left out of the rotation in the past three games, but made a statement that he's not going anywhere from here on as the Warriors claimed victory despite the absence of Al Horford and Jonathan Kuminga, along with Draymond Green in the second-half after he was ejected early in the second-quarter.

Will Richard sends clear message to Steve Kerr in return to Warrior rotation

Golden State have had an issue with players not stepping up and demanding a larger role or more minutes in recent weeks, yet Richard did exactly that on Saturday in going for 20 points and five rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting in only 19 minutes off the bench.

The 22-year-old was a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, giving significant impetus to an offense that shot just 34.7% from beyond the arc as a team. Richard was also one of only three Warrior players to score more than 11 points, helping to defy a game-high 38 points from Devin Booker who threatened to steal the game away from the hosts in the final minutes.

Stephen Curry had a team-high 28 points for the Warriors on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor, while also adding nine rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes. Jimmy Butler backed up his 31 points in Thursday's loss to the Suns with another 25, including an important and-one layup in the final minute.

Colin Gillespie could have given the Suns the lead in the final 15 seconds, but Golden State got fortunate as his wide open corner 3-pointer rattled off. Phoenix themselves shot only 34.3% from beyond the arc, having cooled off after putting up 44 points in the opening period to take an ominous 12-point lead.

The Warriors defense stepped up over the next two periods, doing so without Green who received a pair of technical fouls and was forced to leave after just eight minutes of playing time. Brandin Podziemski got the start in the second-half without Green, eventualy playing 30 minutes where the third-year guard had 11 points, three rebounds and six assists.

Golden State move to 14-15 on the season and will now prepare to host the Orlando Magic in another crucial matchup prior to the Christmas Day marquee game against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.