Perhaps the Warriors went into Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday night expecting the usual result, a win against the young and tanking Phoenix Suns.
Instead, the defending NBA champions found themselves in quite the brawl before summoning a 13-0 run midway through the fourth quarter and eventually pulling away down the stretch for a 117-107 win.
All five Warriors starters scored in double figures as they overcame 18 turnovers and the third-quarter ejection of Draymond Green to post their 18th consecutive victory over the Suns.
Here are three takeaways from a game in which Phoenix put up a ferocious fight:
Boogie's Night Pt. IX
In the ninth installment of DeMarcus Cousins as a Warrior, there were several hiccups, some with the officiating and some with Suns rookie center Deandre Ayton.
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Cousins was scoreless while committing two turnovers in the first quarter, during which Ayton scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Ayton and the Suns piled up 18 points in the paint.
After playing seven first-quarter minutes without committing a foul, Cousins was whistled for three -- as well as a technical -- in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Total Boogie in the first half: Six points, two rebounds, two steals, one block.
Total Boogie: 18 points (7-of-11 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc), five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. He was minus-14 over 27 minutes.
Cousins had his moments. All in all, though, this was a trying night.
Curry cooks late
Stephen Curry spent a full three quarters in search of his game, scoring 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting.
But the Warriors guard often finds it late in such games, and that's exactly what happened. He scored 10 points in a stretch of about three minutes in the fourth quarter to pull the Warriors toward victory.
Curry finished with 20 points on 6-of-17 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and seven assists. He was plus-13 over 36 minutes.
When the Warriors needed a lift, Curry was there to provide it. Yeah, this happens a lot.
Shabby glass work
It's a problem the Warriors run into from time to time, and this was such a time.
They allowed too many offensive rebounds -- 19 to be exact. How bad was it? Not once but twice, the Suns grabbed rebounds of their own missed free-throw attempts.
The Suns turned extra possessions into a 101-81 advantage in field-goal attempts.
The Suns, who rank 27th in the NBA in second-chance points, scored 10 such points in the first half on 13 shots and 25 in the game on 22 shots.
Though the Warriors often overcome this disparity, it continues to be a problem. It's much easier to survive it against a team like the Suns, who aren't making much of an effort to win at 11-45.
