PHOENIX — They did it once. They couldn’t do it twice.
A second double-digit deficit in as many play-in games proved to be enough to eliminate the Warriors, who scored the opening basket Friday night and never led again in a 111-96 season-ending loss to the Suns.
“Tonight we just didn’t have it,” coach Steve Kerr said “But the competitive desire was there.”
In a star-studded showdown for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, it wasn’t Steph Curry or Devin Booker who took over.
Golden State had no answer for Jalen Green, who one-upped his 35-point performance in a play-in loss to the Blazers that required 29 shots with a surprisingly efficient 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including eight 3-pointers.
Curry was limited to 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting after he scored 35 — 27 in the second half — during Golden State’s comeback win against the Clippers. The Warriors struggled to pick up the slack, managing just 15 points in a first quarter that ended with them down by 18.
“This was as tough a season as you can have, with the injuries, with all kinds of adversity. And they battled. They battled the entire season. They kept going the other night to continue the season, to show that kind of fight,” Kerr said. “I’m proud of the group for finishing the season the right way, by continuing to fight and try to win every game.”
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points and 10 rebounds but committed four of their 21 turnovers that the Suns turned into 30 points.
Draymond Green and Gary Payton II helped the Warriors contain Booker and Dillon Brooks well below their season averages — a combined 33 points — but they had no answer for Jalen Green.
Golden State’s Green and Booker were both ejected with the game out of hand late as players came chest-to-chest and multiple technical fouls were called.
What it means
Last year’s Heat remain the only No. 10 seed to advance from the bottom spot in the play-in to the playoffs. Golden State’s season is over.
The Warriors will have the 11th-best odds in the lottery, giving them a 9.4% chance at a top-four draft pick and 2% odds at the No. 1 overall selection.
Phoenix, which finished seventh in the West, will be the No. 8 seed in a first-round series against the defending champion Thunder that begins Sunday.
“You really have to give the credit to Phoenix. They punched us early,” Kerr said. “Aggressive defense, forcing a lot of turnovers. So we didn’t have it.”
Turning point
After falling behind 12-2 early in Inglewood, the Warriors found themselves in an even deeper early hole against the Suns. Unlike in Wednesday’s win, when they erased multiple double-digit deficits, they were never quite able to claw back from a 13-2 opening salvo from Phoenix.
The Suns widened their lead to 33-15 by the end of the first quarter.
The Curry flurry that carried them over the Clippers never came. He came up with a steal late in the first half and set himself up for a transition 3 that cut the Suns’ lead to 43-36, then converted a pair of free throws to pull the Warriors within 47-45 in the final moments of the first half.
But that was as close as the Warriors would get.
Golden State kept it close until Green hit his eighth 3-pointer with 7:58 to play. The shot extended the Suns’ lead to 90-78, and the Warriors wouldn’t cut it within single digits again.
MVP: Jalen Green
Green went to high school in the Warriors’ backyard and struck up an early relationship with Curry. He was one of the reasons Golden State upset the Rockets in the first round last year. This time, he almost single-handedly ended their season.
When Green hit his eighth and final 3-pointer midway through the fourth, it matched as many as the Warriors had connected on as a team to that point. Golden State finished with 11.
Stat of the game: 4-for-16
Curry had nothing left in the tank after his heroics two nights earlier.
He struggled to get involved early, taking fewer shots than seven players while they fell behind in the first quarter, and never found the touch once he forced the issue.
Curry’s 25% success rate from the field was the lowest of any player on either side who attempted more than three shots. He was also responsible for four of Golden State’s 21 turnovers.
His primary defender, Jordan Goodwin, came up with six steals.
Up next
The Warriors can turn their attention to next season and potentially one last ride with Curry. He has one more year on his contract, along with Green and Jimmy Butler. The biggest question the Warriors have to answer is whether Kerr will be back for a 13th season. He coached this past season on an expiring contract and has declined to address his future.
