Gone is the Warriors' perfect start, and all Klay Thompson could do was watch.
With Thompson sidelined by a sprained shooting hand/wrist, the Warriors were game early but eventually were overcome by their own mistakes and perhaps their own fatigue in a 107-95 loss to the Suns on Sunday night.
The Warriors (5-1) were in control for much of the game, but the Suns woke up late in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth to give rookie coach Steve Kerr his first loss.
Stephen Curry finished with 28 points and 10 assists – and 10 turnovers. The Warriors, already leading the NBA in giveaways at 21.6 per game, committed 27 more. Their lead in this ignominious category seems safe for a while.
Three other Warriors scored in double figures, with Draymond Green putting 22 points and Harrison Barnes and Leandro Barbosa adding 12 apiece.
The Warriors shot 58.8 percent in the first half, before cooling to 37.1 percent after halftime. On a night when the Warriors needed all the depth they could summon, their bench was outscored 48-17.
Four Suns scored in double figures, led by Isaiah Thomas, who dropped in 22 off the bench.
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
Curry filled much of the void created by Thompson's absence and Green threw his body into places Andrew Bogut just couldn't reach after logging a hard 37 minutes in Houston the previous night.
In addition to his 22 points, Green added a team-high-tying nine rebounds, as well as five turnovers.
Curry owned most of the first three quarters, scoring 24 points, with eight assists and five steals. He was lining up to be the hero of the game before disaster struck.
TURNING POINT:
With the Warriors up 79-69 and taking possession with 15.6 seconds to play, Kerr inserted Curry for the final possession. The move backfired, as Curry picked up two quick fouls, effectively launching the Suns on an 21-7 run.
That gave Phoenix a 90-86 lead with 6:07 remaining. The Warriors, who had led throughout the second and third quarters, trailed the rest of the way.
INJURY UPDATE:
G Klay Thompson (sprained right hand/wrist) was declared out shortly before tipoff and is day to day. F David Lee (strained right hamstring) is out indefinitely and will be reexamined the week of Nov. 16
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Warriors return to the Oakland, where on Tuesday night they face the Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors have lost to San Antonio in nine of its last 11 visits to the Bay Area and have lost 52 of the last 60 meetings overall.
