Stephen Curry made a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Phoenix Suns 113-112 on Saturday night for their sixth victory in seven games.
With the Warriors trailing 112-110 with 3.3 seconds to play, Curry caught Brandin Podziemski’s inbounds pass, turned and hit a 33-footer for his ninth three-pointer of the night. He had 30 points.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 32 points, and Kevin Durant had 24. The Suns had two chances after Curry’s three-pointer, but Booker was fouled under the basket on the first and Durant couldn’t get a shot on the second.
Golden State avoided being swept by the Suns in the season series, returning to .500 for the first time since December 25. The Warriors are also back in the playoffs, sliding ahead of inactive Utah to the 10th seed in the West ahead of a matchup at the Jazz on Monday night.
The two teams went back and forth in the clutch, without achieving much separation. The Warriors led 84-82 entering the fourth quarter. Booker gave the Suns a 112-110 lead with 35 seconds left on a turnaround jumper.
Jonathan Kuminga added 21 points for Golden State. Draymond Green had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Golden State led 47-40 in the second quarter before the Suns went on a 12-0 run and took the lead on a three-point play by Durant. The Warriors answered with a spurt from Kuminga – who led Golden State by 13 points at halftime – to take a 59-58 lead into intermission.
Royce O’Neale, acquired at the trade deadline, made his debut for the Suns and scored three points. David Roddy, Phoenix’s other deadline acquisition, did not play.
Gary Payton, who missed the last 16 games due to a left hamstring strain, returned for the Warriors. He had 11 points.
Green, who had remained free of technical fouls since returning from an indefinite suspension in January, was assessed a technical foul while arguing for a foul call after making a layup in the third quarter.
Green also exchanged words and taunts during the game with Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, who was punched in the face by Green on December 12, leading to Green’s suspension.