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Suns want to play ‘to the limit’ defensively. ‘You can’t call 90 fouls’

Phoenix Suns players discuss their new identity and how it impacts their mentality as the 2025-26 season begins.

SAN FRANCISCO – The Phoenix Suns nearly erased a 25-point, first-half deficit but lost to the Golden State Warriors, 118-107, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, before a sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center.

Phoenix (3-5) went on a 16-2 run in the second half to pull within single digits, 88-79, with 2:33 left in the third quarter, but Golden State maintained a nine-point advantage, 92-83, going into the fourth.

Devin Booker scored 17 of his game-high 38 points in the third quarter.

Phoenix crept a little closer early in the fourth, 92-85, on an Oso Ighodaro interior push shot and had a chance to make the difference four, but Collin Gillespie missed a 3.

Golden State proceeded to go on a 15-3 run to go up, 107-88, with 8:07 left in the game.

Moses Moody scored eight points in the run, hitting two 3s with the second one giving Golden State the 19-point advantage and forcing Suns coach Jordan Ott to call a timeout.

Phoenix went on one final run, 12-3, to trim Golden State’s advantage to, 113-105, with 3:35 left. The Warriors responded with a 5-0 burst as Steph Curry scored three on free throws.

Fouled by Jordan Goodwin on the drive, Curry made the first free throw. Just as he was shooting the second one, Dillon Brooks, who did not play because of an injury, was called for a technical foul from the bench.

Curry then made the technical free throw and his second free throw from the foul call. Moody added a basket to complete the 5-0 burst and give Golden State an 118-105 lead with 1:56 left.

Curry paced the Warriors (5-3) with 28 points as Golden State snapped a two-game skid and ended Phoenix’s two-game winning streak. The Suns are 0-4 on the road this season.

Jalen Green (right hamstring strain) and Brooks (core muscle strain) sat out for the Suns.

Green has yet to play this season after playing every game in his last two seasons with the Houston Rockets, while Brooks has missed Phoenix’s last five games.

Green participated in a live 5-on-5 after the morning shootaround ahead of the Warriors game.

Warriors cook from 3, up big on Suns

The Golden State Warriors led by as many as 25 points in the first half in taking a 68-49 halftime lead on the Phoenix Suns.

Devin Booker leads all scorers with 17 points as the Suns look for their first road win of the season. They are 0-3 in away games.

Moses Moody scored a team-high 13 points off the bench in leading the Warriors (4-3), who are looking to snap a two-game skid.

Golden State’s bench churned out 41 points. Phoenix managed 12.

The Suns took a 5-0 lead to start the game, but the Warriors responded with an 11-0 run.

Shooting 13-of-24 from 3, Golden State built its largest lead, 60-35, on a Buddy Hield 3 with 4:11 left in the first half.

Stephen Curry has 12 points, going 4-of-6 from 3 while Hield has 11, shooting 3-of-5 from distance. Moody is 3-of-4 on 3s.

The Suns are 5-of-15 from deep. Golden State has a 17-7 advantage in fastbreak points.

Green, Brooks update, Butler playing

The Suns are starting Devin Booker, Grayson Allen, Ryan Dunn, Royce O’Neale and Mark Williams for their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Phoenix is 2-1 with this starting lineup.

Dunn was previously listed as probable with a left knee contusion while two-way player Isaiah Livers is back after missing the Suns’ win over San Antonio with a right hip contusion.

Livers was previously listed as questionable for the matchup against Golden State.

The Warriors are starting Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Quinten Post. Butler was previously listed as questionable with right low back soreness.

Suns coach Jordan Ott gave an update on Jalen Green (right hamstring strain) and Dillon Brooks (muscle core strain) as both are out tonight.

Green hasn’t played a game for the Suns so far this season. He participated in another 5-on-5 on Nov. 4 at Chase Center after doing so on back-to-back days last weekend.

Ott said Green had a “great recovery” after the 5-on-5.

“With a day in between before the next game, we’ll see exactly where he’s at, but definitely trending in the right direction, it’s a good sight to see,” Ott said.

Ott said it’s about how Green responds to the workouts that’s factoring into making his Suns debut.

“It’s just how he reacts,” Ott said. “This is his highest day to date. The ability to get up and down. Now it’s been multiple times and just see how he feels. How far was he able to push it and then how he feels tomorrow will give us a good indicator of what is next.”

The Suns host the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 6.

As for Brooks, he’ll miss his fifth straight game tonight.

“The same type of thing,” Ott said. “How does he feel. He had a really good workout today again. It was a longer, extended workout. He seems to be in a good place. This is more of a pain tolerance than anything. We know how high is pain tolerance is. He wakes up tomorrow and feels great, he’ll tell us and he’s just looking for how the body responds. It seems like he’s getting there. We don’t know exactly what that timeline looks like, but again, we’ll take that thing day-by-day and he’s progressing in a good place.”

Butler questionable for Warriors

The Warriors (4-3) have added Jimmy Butler to their injury report list as he’s questionable with right low back soreness. Butler is in his first full season with the Warriors after joining the team in a trade before the 2025 trade deadline. Butler is averaging 21.4 points, shooting 50% from 3, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals in Golden State’s first seven games this season.

The Warriors will be without Al Horford (left toe injury management) and former Suns guard De’Anthony Melton (left ACL surgery).

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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