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With 38.3 seconds left, Dillon Brooks swung at the apex of Steph Curry’s jump shot before reloading his right arm to club Curry in the abdomen.
Brooks was assessed a flagrant foul. Jimmy Butler sank a quick 3-pointer to cap a five-point possession and knot Thursday’s game in Phoenix at 96. For a moment, it looked like Brooks might’ve saved the Warriors’ season.
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But on the final possession, Moses Moody committed a loose ball foul just before time expired, sending Jordan Goodwin to the foul line for the game-winning foul shot. The Warriors (13-15) dropped their third straight game, 99-98.
“We’re obviously not a good team right now because of what our record says and the fact that we find ourselves in these types of positions,” Curry told reporters in Phoenix. “I do like the fact that it’s challenging us and giving us a sense of urgency. Some years, you learn these lessons while you’re winning and it catches up to you. If we’re going to do anything relevant this year, feeling this pain right now and searching a little bit could be a good thing. If we do something about it.”
It was a literal gut punch. At the center of it was Brooks, the longtime Warriors villain who dropped 24 points and is enjoying the best year of his career as a leader of the hard-nosed Suns. He’s been antagonizing the Warriors with his play style that blurs the line between physical and dirty for years, including when he broke Gary Payton II’s elbow in the 2022 playoffs. His latest hostile act — the reckless shot at Curry’s midsection — couldn’t have gone over well within the Warriors’ locker room.
Curry, as diplomatic as they come, described it as “bush league.”
The team won’t have to stew over it for long. The Warriors get to see Brooks and the Suns again, on Saturday evening at Chase Center for a rematch.
This is the same Dillon Brooks who got tossed from the Suns’ previous game for jawing with LeBron James. The same Dillon Brooks who picked up a technical foul from the bench, in street clothes, in the Warriors and Suns’ first matchup this season. The same Dillon Brooks who called Draymond Green a dirty player (opens in new tab) during Golden State and Houston’s intense, seven-game series, while simultaneously admitting to taking swipes at Curry’s injured thumb (opens in new tab).
Even before the late swipe at Curry on Thursday, Brooks picked up a technical for arguing and also got into it with Moody, the typically stoic Warriors wing. He’s the league’s chief instigator.
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The Warriors didn’t necessarily let Brooks’ antics get to them on Thursday night in Phoenix. They lost because they turned it over 20 times — five of which were committed by Draymond Green — and went on a 4:42 scoring drought to end the third quarter.
“If I had answers, I’d change it,” said Green, who coughed up eight turnovers against Portland on Sunday.
Golden State is now 5-10 in clutch games, an inexplicable mark given Curry’s track record of late shot-making.
Curry shot 3-for-13 against the Suns, who frequently threw double teams at him. In the Warriors’ previous two losses, against Minnesota and Portland, he dropped 39 and 48 points. He’ll get a chance to avenge his poor shooting night against Brooks — with whom he has a history (opens in new tab) with — in a matter of days.
An aggressive Butler kept the Warriors in the game with a magnificent 31-point performance. Brandin Podziemski was likewise brilliant, scoring 18 points off the bench on just 11 shots while pushing pace and making quick decisions.
But Steve Kerr’s rotation roulette continued. He shuffled in players with a rapid pace, going 12-deep in the first half and dusting off Jonathan Kuminga, who was largely ineffective after three straight DNPs. He’s still searching for combinations that work, including in the starting lineup that he wants to see succeed. That group won’t work if Quinten Post and Moody can’t hit open shots; they combined to shoot 3-for-16 from distance in Phoenix.
Still, the Warriors nearly headed into overtime with wind at their backs. They’d closed on a 7-2 run before Moody was whistled for his foul in a sea of bodies tracking down a rebound with 0.4 seconds left.
“It’s hard to believe the game was decided on that call — an airball that hits the side of the backboard,” Kerr said. “Guys behind the bench telling me that Moses got all ball. Everybody’s tangled up. To me, it better be a foul to decide the game on a play like that. So, disappointing that we didn’t get to go to overtime.”
This was supposed to be the pocket in Golden State’s schedule to make up some ground after a road-heavy start to the year packed with back-to-backs. Thursday’s game was just the team’s third contest in 11 days, and each has come against beatable opponents. The Warriors held a lead entering the fourth quarter in all three games.
Each resulted in defeat. Another loss to Brooks and the Suns would have the Warriors really spiraling.