They’re not all wins, but the Phoenix Suns will usually give the fans their money’s worth and TV viewers heart palpitations on a regular basis.
The latest thrill ride — a 99-98 win over the Golden State Warriors at Mortgage Matchup Center Thursday night.
Things looked great for the Suns late. Leading by five with 38 seconds to go, an unusually cold Steph Curry missed a corner three. The ball was deflected out of bounds on the rebound and awarded to Golden State. But after the play, Curry was down in the corner and the Warriors’ bench — out of timeouts and challenges — lobbied for an official review for a hostile act on Curry.
I’ll give you one guess who was defending on the play.
Yup. Dillon Brooks, who closed out on the shot and forced the miss, but inexplicably delivered some sort of blow to Curry’s midsection. Was it terribly violent? No. Did Curry embellish? Of course. Was Brooks’ action necessary? Absolutely not.
A Flagrant 1 foul was called on Brooks, meaning Curry would get two free throws and the Warriors the ball. Curry predictably sank both and two seconds into the ensuing bonus possession, Jimmy Butler nailed a three to tie the game.
Dillon Brooks earned a Flagrant 1 foul for striking Steph Curry on this play 😳 pic.twitter.com/LjlK4cmu61
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 19, 2025
The Suns responded with Devin Booker hitting a jumper and the Warriors tied it again with two more free throws from Curry. Jordan Goodwin would eventually win the game for the Suns by hustling for an offensive rebound on a Brooks missed three and made the second of two free throws to win the game with less than a second left.
Dillon Brooks has been a godsend for the Phoenix Suns this season. There’s no way they’re 15-12 without his total package of contributions and there’s no way they wouldn’t have been down 20 or more points without him in the first half on Thursday. But this is two straight games where Brooks has let his always-turned-on intensity cost his team late with foolish plays against opposing superstars who will ALWAYS GET THE CALL.
Brooks said after the game he needs to do some “soul searching.” Hopefully escaping with a crucial win after a boneheaded play will expedite the soul search and learning process for arguably the Suns’ most valuable player through the first 27 games of the season.