Devin Booker scored 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting as the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 131-122 at Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday. The win moved Phoenix to 1-1 while Golden State dropped to 0-3.
The Suns took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 45-38 to turn a tied game into a lead they never gave up. Yaxel Lendeborg led Golden State with 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the loss.
Takeaways From Suns’ Win Over Warriors
Phoenix’s third-quarter surge broke the game open
The teams were tied at 44 late in the second quarter before Phoenix outscored Golden State 45-38 in the third. The Suns built their largest lead of the night, 16 points, during that stretch after 14 total lead changes through the first half. Phoenix shot 58% from the field for the game, well above Golden State’s 45%, and that efficiency carried the Suns through the decisive period.
Phoenix dominated the paint and in transition
The Suns scored 60 points in the paint compared to 48 for the Warriors and piled up 27 fast-break points to Golden State’s 10. Phoenix also forced advantageous turnover math, scoring 26 points off Warriors giveaways while surrendering only 12 points off its own 15 turnovers.
Golden State got offense everywhere but still fell short
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Lendeborg’s 26 and Brandon Williams’ 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Golden State shot 44% from three-point range on 17-of-39 shooting, yet an 0-3 start now has the Warriors sitting last in the Pacific Division standings at 2.5 games back.
Player Of The Game: Devin Booker
Booker finished with 43 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes, shooting 17 of 25 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line. It was the clear top individual performance of the night, outpacing every other player on both rosters by at least 17 points.
Suns Vs. Warriors By The Numbers
Phoenix shot 58% from the field compared to Golden State’s 45%, a 13-point gap that outweighed the Warriors’ edge from three-point range, where they hit 44% to the Suns’ 38%. The Suns also won the paint battle 60-48 and the fast-break scoring battle 27-10. Golden State out-rebounded Phoenix 44-42 and held a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds, but turnovers proved costly: the Warriors gave up 26 points off their 16 turnovers while the Suns allowed just 12 points off 15 giveaways.
What’s Next
The Suns improved to 1-1 and sit tied for second in the Pacific Division behind the unbeaten Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State fell to 0-3 and last in the division as the Warriors continue to navigate the fallout from the Kristaps Porzingis injury situation. Lendeborg’s big scoring night continues a strong start to his rookie season after he drew attention for comments following his NBA debut. Phoenix owns a 1-0 lead in the season series against Golden State heading into any future matchups between the two clubs.
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