Harrison Barnes wins it for Warriors in a wild final few possessions vs. Suns
The Golden State Warriors do not have much to gain from the final games of the 2014-15 regular season. They have already clinched the top seed West, appear to be on their way to finishing with the best record in the NBA, and have played some of the most thrilling basketball in recent memory. They’re seemingly every non-Warriors fan’s second-favorite team, and no one would forgive them for taking it easy with two weeks to go until the first round.
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So, naturally, Golden State came through with one of their wildest finishes of the season in Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena. Down 104-102 with under 20 seconds left on the game clock, the Warriors missed three attempts at game-tying shots before getting the ball to Stephen Curry on the perimeter with under 10 to go. The MVP candidate did not disappoint:
But neither did the Suns. After a timeout, Eric Bledsoe easily got to the hoop for Phoenix’s own go-ahead bucket with 4.5 seconds remaining:
Which gave the Warriors one last shot at a win. The Suns denied the inbounds pass to Curry, but Harrison Barnes, just 1-of-14 from the field in the team’s last two games, managed to get up an awkward chance at the game-winner:
The 107-106 win makes it 11 straight for the Warriors, who are now just one win or one Atlanta Hawks loss from clinching the best record in the NBA. Given the drama of the final minutes, it’s worth remembering that they didn’t even take this game as a must-win. While Stephen Curry (28 points in 34 minutes) and Klay Thompson (32 minutes) saw lots of action, no other starter played more than Barnes’s 24 minutes. Head coach Steve Kerr also gave extended run to little-used rookie James Michael McAdoo, who figures to see playoff minutes only in the event of several major injuries.
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The result meant a bit more to the Suns, now extreme underdogs to make the playoffs at 4 1/2 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder with six to play. They are now 38-38, although Thursday marked their 53rd last-second loss of the season.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
