Suns Inch Closer To .500, Outlast Warriors 104-92

During the matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors on Monday night, a pair of Suns celebrated their birthdays: Steve Nash and Mickael Pietrus.

How they celebrated their birthdays prior to and after the game are speculation as we’ll never know what transpired, but based on their performances on the hardwood, they obviously didn’t party like it was 1999.

Nevertheless, Phoenix had six players score in double-digits and dominating the first half, allowing them to get past Golden State 104-92 at Oracle Arena.

The Suns dominated in the first half, outscoring the Warriors 33-17 in the first quarter and besting Golden State by one in the second, allowing them to take a sizeable 62-45 lead at the break.

Based on the halftime score, it was evident that Phoenix’s speed and energy wore down the Warriors; the Suns’ lead increased to 77-54, shooting 61 percent through three quarters and built enough of a lead to withstand Golden State’s push.

Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry sat his starters in the second half – and almost paid for his action. The Warriors got to within 93-88 with about 4 minutes left to go in a rally that fell a bit short; they scored 11 straight points during the spurt, helped by the Suns missing eight straight shots; however, they couldn’t keep up the momentum.

Six Suns scored in double-digits, led by Channing Frye with 19 points (including five 3-pointers), along with 11 rebounds, 2 assists and a block while Grant Hill added 18 with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Nash chipped in 14 with 3 rebounds, 15 assists and a steal.

The Warriors were led by Monta Ellis with a game-high 21 points, along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Reggie Williams came off the bench to score 19 with 5 rebounds. David Lee chipped in 16 with 10 rebounds and 2 assists while Stephen Curry poured in 15 with 2 rebounds, 8 assists and a steal, but also turning the ball over 5 times.

Phoenix (24-25) plays again on Thursday night when they have a rematch with Golden State (22-28) while the Warriors remain at home to host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

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