JAE Crowder hit a pair of jumpers, including a 3-pointer, after the Golden State Warriors had closed within one point in the fourth quarter and the host Phoenix Suns went on to win the Pacific Division showdown 104-96 for a franchise-record-tying 17th consecutive victory on Tuesday night.
Deandre Ayton (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Chris Paul (15 points, 11 assists) recorded double-doubles for the Suns, who won despite losing Devin Booker to a strained left hamstring in the second quarter.
The Suns’ winning streak matches the 17 straight won by the 2006-07 team, bridging December 2006 and January 2007, and also completed the NBA’s first 16-0 calendar month since the Warriors accomplished the feat in November 2015 as part of their record-setting 24-0 start.
Booker’s injury occurred on a drive to the hoop midway through the second quarter. He was taken to the locker room, and the Suns announced he would not return.
Coming off a four-game trip on which he had three 30-point nights, Booker had 10 points in his first 15 minutes on Tuesday.
Even without their leading scorer, the Suns retained a slim lead throughout most of the second half — a margin that was just 92-91 when Otto Porter, Jr. hit a short jumper with 5:19 to play.
But Crowder countered with 21 and 26-footers; and, when Paul added a short jumper and Landry Shamet a 3-pointer with 56.1 seconds left, the Suns had a 102-92 advantage.
Crowder and Cam Johnson scored 14 for the Suns, who moved into a tie with the Warriors atop the Pacific and Western Conference standings at 18-3.
The clubs will meet in a rematch on Friday night in San Francisco.
Jordan Poole had a game-high 28 points and Porter 16 for the Warriors, whose star, Stephen Curry, was limited to 12 points on four-for-21 shooting.
The Warriors shot just 41.9%, well off the Suns’ 49.4%, and hurt themselves with 22 turnovers.
Battling a sore back, Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 10 points for the Warriors, while Draymond Green had 11 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists.
Neither team led by more than nine points in a first half that ended with Phoenix up 56-54.
Poole exploded for 16 first-quarter points, 12 coming on 3-pointers, as Golden State put up 35 points in the first 12 minutes and led by four. — Reuters