Takeaways from Suns' loss at Warriors: more Nurkic-Green drama, Curry delivers

SAN FRANCISCO — The Phoenix Suns found a way to close a fourth quarter strong enough to put themselves in position to win on the road in a spirited environment all against them.

Devin Booker either scored or assisted on 11 straight points to put the Suns ahead with 35.6 seconds left. This is after not scoring in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's win over Milwaukee and not playing in Thursday's victory over Utah due to a sore left hip.

Then Stephen Curry happened.

With Golden State down two, Curry hit a 33-footer with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Warriors to a 113-112 stunner before the 504th consecutive sellout crowd of 18,604 at Chase Center.

Bradley Beal nearly stole the inbounds pass from rookie Brandin Podziemski, but Curry retrieved it, turned, launched and splashed one over the lunging Booker. Curry cooked the Suns from 3, going 9-of-16 for 30 points while Booker scored a game-high 32 with 12 coming in the fourth.

The Suns were unable to get off a shot in the final 0.7 seconds as Andrew Wiggins fouled Booker with 0.6 seconds left, but the Warriors had a foul to give.

After a Phoenix timeout, the Suns (31-22) failed to get a shot off as Kevin Durant was unable to control Grayson Allen’s inbounds pass with Draymond Green having hands and elbows all over him.

Green followed up with a parting scream aimed at Durant that left him shaking his head while walking off the court. Golden State (26-26) won its fourth straight in snapping Phoenix’s three-game win streak.

The Suns finished the regular season series 3-1 over the Warriors. Here’s what we learned as Suns big Jusuf Nurkic and Warriors forward Draymond Green were at it again in facing each other for the first time since that Dec. 12 game when Green struck him in the face in Phoenix.

“It's sad,” Nurkic said. “He didn't learn anything. Just a matter of time. He's going to hit somebody else again. Take back everything I said. He don't deserve a chance."

Suns not on same page at the end

Suns coach Frank Vogel didn’t look to foul even though the Suns had one to give, noting the Warriors lost in overtime on Dec. 8 at Oklahoma City after Green fouled Chet Holmgren with 7.7 seconds left.

Holmgren hit all three free throws to force overtime. It’s certainly a tough call when there’s just 3.3 seconds, but one that may have helped Phoenix pull out the victory.

However, the Suns weren’t on the same page in defending that final shot. Beal said he thought the Suns were switching on the play and they didn’t.

“We didn’t switch on an early screen so that left Brad to be a little late,” Booker said.

It appears Eric Gordon didn’t switch as he stayed with Wiggins, who screened Beal.

Beal was on Green. When Green set the screen on Durant to free up Curry, Beal reacted a bit late and ran out looking to intercept or deflect the inbound pass.

Without the mask, Beal believes he gets that one, saying it throws off his peripheral vision as he looked to cut in front of the pass. Beal has been wearing it since having his nose broken last month at Indiana.

Still, the Suns just can’t make that mistake knowing Curry was going to be the primary option. The dude is the greatest shooter ever, has been cooking of late and hit eight 3s prior to that final one.

Curry just scored 60 last week at Atlanta. Went for 42 Thursday at Indiana. He can’t get that last shot if you’re the Suns. Just can’t happen.

In a situation like this, the coach ultimately decides who is on the floor. Vogel could’ve put Josh Okogie in the game for defense, but he took him out of the game with 5:23 remaining for Beal.

The actual time Okogie spent on the bench was much longer than that, but he certainly was an option.

The Suns traded for Royce O’Neale before Thursday's deadline to provide defense. He probably would’ve understood what to do, but to put someone who just joined the team Friday in that position a day later, that’s tough. Really tough.

O’Neale finished his Phoenix debut with three points and four rebounds in 11 minutes.

So, in this situation, the coach usually goes with guys he trusts. He went to that small-ball lineup of Allen, Booker, Beal, Durant and Gordon, who replaced Nurkic with 2:47 left.

That unit erased a five-point deficit. It’s understandable why Vogel stuck with it, but this ending will make him rethink who to have in the game in a situation like that again and make it clear to everyone what the plan is, because clearly everyone wasn’t reading the same sheet music on that play.

Extra pass?

The Suns have been preaching all season to trust your teammates and make the extra pass. That was put to the test on Phoenix’s possession before Curry’s heroics.

After the Suns swung the ball around, Beal received a pass from Gordon with about 1.9 on the shot clock and had to decide — shoot or pass it to a very open Allen, the NBA’s top 3-point shooter at 49%.

Podziemski closed out hard on Beal, who got him in the air on a pump fake before launching what was an open shot. The Suns can live with Beal, who has hit huge shots in his career, taking that one, but with the urgency Podziemski rushed him, another hot potato pass to Allen was there.

The Suns had the Warriors scrambling defensively and Jonathan Kuminga wasn’t close enough to Allen to contest a shot. Allen was more than ready to shoot as he had his hands set to catch and hoist.

Maybe Allen doesn’t get off the shot and it’s a shot clock violation — or he does and connects to make the difference four with likely under three seconds left.

Ball game. Allen ended the night with 10 points, going 2-of-6 from 3.

Yes, it’s a make-or-miss league, but the Suns will be in these late-game situations in the postseason. Vogel was pleased the Suns ran the shot clock down because Gordon could’ve forced the corner 3 with Green flying at him.

However, if they’re going to live with the extra pass, when do the Suns go against that? Whenever one of the Big 3 is involved, and if the roles are reversed, will Allen throw to an open Beal?

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

Draymond vs. Nurkic, Part 2

The last time they saw each other, Green socked Nurkic in the face on Dec. 12 in Phoenix, was ejected and later received an indefinite suspension that ended up lasting 12 games.

Nurkic said Green needed help. Green said he didn’t do it on purpose. Nurkic still gave Green his props for being an NBA champion and future Hall of Famer. Everything seemed all good.

Time passed, Green received counseling and returned on Jan. 15 at Memphis. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Green has “been perfect” with his approach to the referees, but with the way their last encounter went down, everyone was waiting to see what would happen when Nurkic and Green locked horns again.

Nurkic is a physical player with a big body. Green doesn’t back down from a challenge. Something was bound to happen — again.

So those two exchanging words again, getting physical and going back and forth shouldn’t have been a surprise. The two had to be separated after Green fouled Nurkic on a postup in the first quarter.

It was on from there.

Green drew a charge on Nurkic five seconds after that and pointed to his head to say Nurkic was “a dummy” on the play. They exchanged “too small” signs after scores over the other, were playing rough, but Green got the better of this matchup with 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to Nurkic’s six points, six rebounds and four assists.

Green, Warriors bench difference

Vogel went with the small-ball lineup at the end after Green drove past Nurkic for that layup to put Golden State up five with 2:47 left. Now, what Nurkic said about Green after the game turned heads, but here’s the underlining part of all this that’s already known.

The Warriors are a different team with Green. He’s not the greatest shooter ever in Curry, one of the greatest in Thompson, but he’s a lifetime member of their Big 3 because he does everything else and provides the edge he needs and quite frankly, the Warriors have needed to become a dynasty.

They’re 7-4 in Green’s return from suspension. Starting him at the five has led to Kuminga starting. He scored 21 points Saturday and continued to show his potential.

Golden State got Gary Payton II back from injury and he provided a huge spark with 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. The Warriors bench was huge to start the fourth.

With Thompson and four reserves, Golden State answers Phoenix taking a three-point lead with a 7-0 burst to go up, 91-87, with 9:31 remaining. That was a huge sequence. Huge.

Now Curry was the hero after Booker put the Suns in great position to win, but Green and the Warriors bench were just as instrumental in the outcome as anything else.

Up next – Kings, Pistons in back-to-back

The Suns play their final two games before the NBA All-Star break at home against the Kings on Tuesday and the Pistons on Wednesday in the return of Monty Williams.

The Kings (30-21) are fifth in the West. They are 2-1 against the Suns, and the two Pacific Division teams will play each other five times this season because of an In-Season Tournament matchup.

The Pistons (8-44) have the NBA’s worst record, but are 2-1 in their last three games as they pulled off a comeback overtime win at Portland, 128-122, before losing Saturday to the Clippers, 112-106.

Detroit trailed by as many as 23 points in the second half of the win over the Blazers.

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns not on same page when it matters in loss to Warriors