The Warriors staged a stunning fourth-quarter rally, leaving Steve Kerr with mixed emotions.
The Golden State Warriors have been through a lot over the past week and a half.
Between Jimmy Butler's season-ending ACL tear, Stephen Curry's ongoing knee injury, and the trade deadline shaking up the locker room, it has been anything but easy for this group.
Three teammates were shipped out in the span of a few hours, and the mood at Thursday morning's shootaround in Phoenix was one of sadness.
Then, against all odds, the Warriors went out and pulled off one of the most improbable wins of their season.
A Comeback for the Ages
Golden State trailed the Phoenix Suns by 14 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday night before closing the game on a 25-7 run to steal a 101-97 victory at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Warriors held Phoenix to just 3-of-16 shooting down the stretch while outrebounding them 16-4 in the final period, and it was De'Anthony Melton who sealed the deal with a layup at the buzzer after a wild scramble for a loose ball.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Steve Kerr was visibly moved.
"Just the emotion of everything, you know, the last two days, losing three of our guys who were beloved in the locker room, and losing Jimmy, Steph being out. It's just been tough this last week or ten days," Kerr said. "It just felt like a great team win where everybody fought, competed, and stayed with it. It was a beautiful thing to watch."
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Warriors had traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis, while also sending Trayce Jackson-Davis to Toronto for a second-round pick.
Those three players were well-liked in the locker room, and their departures hit the group hard.
Role Players Step Up in a Big Way
Pat Spencer led all Warriors scorers with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting while drilling six three-pointers.
Gui Santos chipped in 18 points and seven assists while Melton finished with 17 points, three steals, and a game-high plus-21 in his first start of the season.
Gary Payton II added 15 points off the bench and Al Horford contributed 13.
Kerr had promised changes after the Warriors were blown out 113-94 by the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, and he delivered by going small with Melton, Spencer, Moses Moody, Santos, and Green in the starting lineup.
The defensive intensity in the fourth quarter was exactly the kind of fight this team needed.
What It Means Going Forward
The win moves Golden State to 28-24 on the season, good for eighth in the Western Conference, while Phoenix drops to 31-21.
It was a statement that this group still has plenty of fight left, even when the circumstances feel stacked against them.
Looking ahead, the Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night before returning home for a four-game homestand against the Grizzlies, Spurs, Celtics, and Nuggets.
Porzingis is expected to join the team in Los Angeles on Friday and could make his Warriors debut sometime during the homestand, and if Curry can also return to the lineup, Golden State will suddenly have a very different look heading into the stretch run.
For now, though, Thursday night's comeback belongs to the guys who were on the court. As Kerr put it after walking out of a rowdy locker room, "Felt like we won the championship. We needed that."