Moody vs. KD lone defensive bright spot in Warriors’ loss to Suns

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Moody vs. KD lone defensive bright spot in Warriors’ loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ defense, which was so pivotal in their win over the best team in the NBA two days prior, apparently didn’t have a ticket for Friday’s showdown against the Phoenix Suns.

Golden State’s offense also was a bit iffy at times, but it was the defense’s inability to make consistent stops that helped sink the Warriors and propelled the Suns to a 130-105 win before a solemn crowd at Chase Center.

“They made a lot of tough shots, but it’s our job to make them miss those shots,” Warriors guard Moses Moody said. “We definitely could have done better on that side of the ball.”

Phoenix boasts two of the top 11 scorers in the NBA this season with Devin Booker and former Warriors star Kevin Durant, as potent a one-two combo as there is against any opponent.

Golden State – specifically Moody – did a fairly good job against Durant until Durant’s flurry toward the end of the third quarter.

As a team, however, the Warriors couldn’t find a way to slow down Booker. He scored 31 points and had 11 assists.

Unlike two days earlier, when the Warriors won despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s big night with 52 points, this was not a one-man show. As tough as Durant and Booker were to defend, it was the other Suns who came through and benefited from the Warriors’ lack of defense.

Suns center Nick Richards notched his eighth double-double of the 2024-25 NBA season with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen combined for 32 points off the bench on a night when the Suns’ reserves outscored the Warriors’ bench 56-49.

As a team, Phoenix shot better than 56 percent and held a 56-36 scoring advantage in the paint.

“Different teams all have things that they’re good at. They hit a lot of shots tonight,” Moody said. “[Against OKC it was] more ball dominant with Shai. We were able, not to contain him, but contain the game with that strategy.”

Whatever the strategy the Warriors tried against the Suns didn’t work out well.

Phoenix matched its second-highest…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/moody-vs-kd-lone-defensive-001504147.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-01 00:15:00

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