SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGLES — The sign outside the massive, $1.4 billion Chase Center on Wednesday night said it was Golden State Warriors versus Suns.
It was a slight understatement.
The game, which had a feel of bruising playoffs battle, resembled more like a preview of the Western Conference showdown between the two powerhouses somewhere down the road.
And if the result, a 107-103 victory by the visitors, was any indication then there next meeting figures to be a blockbuster.
Phoenix’s triumph capped an impressive streak that they’ve been assembling over the past two weeks while their resident All-Stars, Chris Paul and Devin Booker, were nursing injuries.
This time, mirroring the success that catapulted them to the NBA Finals last season, the rest of the Suns rallied behind their leaders and overcame a night where they just shot 41.3 percent from the feld (38 of 92) and 25 percent from 3 (7 of 28).
Mikal Bridges pumped 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. DeAndre Ayton lorded the paint with 15 points and 16 rebounds. And Jae Crowder added 10 markers, 7 boards and 2 dimes.
“We felt like we’ve been there before,” said Paul, of the playoffs atmospehere inside the Cahse Center and the composure the Suns showed to hold back the once dynastic Warriors.
The victory was the Suns’ ninth straight and as of posting time, their record has bumped to 62-16, easily the best in all of the NBA.
Jordan Poole led the Warrors in Steph Curry’s absence by firing a game-high 38 points. Andrew Wiggins had 19 and eight boards while Draymond Green chipped in 8 points and 10 rebounds. Klay Thompson struggled mghtily, though, and was held to 13 points after missing 16 of his 21 shots.
The Warriors have since recovered from the loss and have won twice. At 50-29 they are officially in the playoffs.
And that’s where they’ll meet the Suns some around late May for the Western Conference Finals.
