PHOENIX _ The results have not mattered for a while. So with the Warriors locked in with the No. 2 seed for over the past week, the Warriors have shown various success with revving up their engine without exhausting too much fuel.
In their 117-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, the Warriors took turns shifting into different gears.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson had a team-leading 34 points while shooting 14-of-23 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range, all thanks to productive first-quarter ended with 22 points on a 9-of-11 clip and 4-of-6 mark from the perimeter. Thompson followed that up in the fourth quarter with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
After going scoreless and missing his first three shots in the first quarter, Warriors forward Kevin Durant had 17 points while staying efficient from the field (6-of-11), 3-point range (2-of-4) and the free-throw line (3-of-4). He also added nine assists and four rebounds.
Warriors forward Draymond Green continued to post near triple-double numbers in points (14), rebounds (six) and assists (five). Other double-digit contributors included Quinn Cook (12 points), JaVale McGee (11 points) and Shaun Livingston (10 points), who returned after sitting on Saturday against New Orleans with a sore right knee.
Granted, the Warriors (58-23) snapped a two-game losing streak against a Phoenix Suns team (20-61) that remains last in the Western Conference and had key absences to Devin Booker (right hand sprain), Josh Jackson (right quad contusion), Elfrid Payton (left knee) and Brandon Knight (left ACL tear). The Warriors also have defeated Phoenix for 15 consecutive games, a franchise record against any opponent that dates back to Nov. 9, 2014.
Yet, the Warriors at least showed better effort than when they lost to Indiana last week.
Then, Warriors coach Steve Kerr called out his players for providing "an embarrassing effort and a pathetic effort after posting their second-worst defensive performance of the season.
"It just shows who I am. I'm all over the map," Kerr joked. "You guys are good. No you stink. No you're good! It's been that kind of year for all of us."
Though the Warriors have stayed at the No. 2 spot because of their star-studded talent, they entered Sunday's game with players missing a combined 156 games because of injuries or illnesses. The most notable included Stephen Curry, Durant, Green and Thompson during overlapping stretches within the past month. That has contributed to the Warriors going 7-9 in the last month.
Therefore, Kerr said he "probably chose my words poorly" following the loss to Indiana.
"When I said they didn't care, that didn't mean they didn't care. What that meant to me is they didn't box out and they didn't get into the passing lanes," Kerr said. "They didn't compete at a high level. When you say somebody doesn't care, that can be interpreting that as questioning their character. I think everybody knows how I feel about our guys. I love our guys. They're an amazing group and a championship group."
To remain that championship group, Kerr has challenged his team to rank in the top 5 in total defense. The Warriors entered Sunday's game, however, ranked 17th in points allowed (107.4), though they ranked 3rd overall in defensive field-goal percentage (44.6 percent).
"It's not that simple you can flip the switch. That's why I snapped," Kerr said. "You guys know me. I usually break two clipboards a year and yell at the team once. My quota is used once."
That explains Kerr's wife, Margot, cited an unnamed British poem that captures her husband: "Be aware of the future of a patient man." Added Kerr, "I'm extremely patient. But sometimes the clipboard must break."
No outbursts were needed against Phoenix, which shot only 42.4 percent from the field. Then again, the Warriors are mindful of the insignificance of their latest win. They at least made a step before the Warriors' regular-season finale against Utah on Tuesday. After that, the real games begin.
