The fallen champs are still reeling from the break-up of their three-time NBA-winning squad, now, with three losses out of their first four games and a broken Curry, it seems as though the Warriors have lost any hope of powering through to this season’s finals. 

In a first-quarter dominated by a 21-0 run from Phoenix, Ricky Rubio (14) hit two of their five threes, but it was Booker who was arguably the best player on the court, hitting 6-of-10 shots from three, locking in on defence and finishing with very few turnovers. Phoenix led 43-14 at the end of the first, shooting 8-of-12 from three, all without suspended Deandre Ayton. 

The Suns saw many more of their roster hitting double figures with Baynes totalling 24 points and 13 rebounds, Saric racking up 16, Johnson 12 and Oubre Jr 11. It was Eric Paschall who led in points for Golden State with 20, adding three rebounds and two blocks, whilst Curry only put up 9 in 21 minutes of game time.

The Warriors narrowed the gap to 11 late in the game, but this was the closest they came to victory. A final score of 121-110 signals a continuation for the Warriors as one of the worst teams in the league currently. Following this more than unfortunate rocky start, Golden State will likely turn to newcomer Allstar D’Angelo Russel to head the offence.

76ers 118, Timberwolves 95

Philadelphia snatched another win against Minnesota, boosting their winning streak to 4-0, but it’s the on-court brawl between Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns that overshadowed last night’s game. 

With a 75-55 Sixers lead midway through the third, Towns and Embiid brought a physical element to their historic run of trash-talking each other. After getting tangled up under the basket post-play, shoves were exchanged by the pair with Towns even throwing a punch (which missed). Both players ended up brawling on the floor before the situation fizzled and they were eventually ejected after video review. Fans responded with "MVP! "MVP!" chants as Embiid left with 19 points and five rebounds, whilst Towns scored 13 points complimented by six rebounds. 

Tensions aside, Sixers’ Al Horford dominated on the glass to achieve his first double-double of the year, scoring 12 points (5-12 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), adding 16 rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes of game time. Tobias Harris put up 18 points, nine rebounds and two assists, with Furkan Korkmaz adding 17 points. 

Andrew Wiggins dropped a team-high 19 points for Minnesota, adding five rebounds, two assists and a block in 33 minutes, as Jeff Teague led in assists with five.

Despite a strong statistical performance for Ben Simmons, with 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks, again it’s his involvement in the Embiid-Towns scuffle that fans recall. Although the Sixers point guard managed to remain in the game, there has been no confirmation that he will escape league discipline indefinitely.

Rockets 159, Wizards 158

It was a different story in Washington as James Harden threw up 59 points (38 in the second half) to see the Rockets edged the Washington Wizards 159-158. Bradley Beal hit 46 points, six rebounds and eight assists, but it was his three free throws that tied the game with 7.7 seconds remaining. The Rockets came back with a foul on Harden as he drove to the basket, he made one of two free throws and Washington was unable to get a final shot off. 

Harden shot 18-of-32 from the field, with 6-of-14 from three and 17-18 from the line. But overall Washington shot 62.6% from the field and made 20 of 36 3-pointers compared to Houston’s 53.4%, making 42.6% of its 3s.

Rookie Rui Hachimura's three-pointer gave the Wizards a 95-89 lead midway through the third quarter, finishing with 23 points in his home debut for Washington. However, the Rockets soon countered with a four-point play by Harden leaving the score tied.  

After a fight to gain a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Wizards soon found themselves at the mercy of the Rockets with both Harden and Westbrook rallying to pull their team within five points to 142-147. Harden was fouled, making his subsequent free throws and Westbrook brought the deficit up to two points with 1.25 on the clock.

Starting out slow, Westbrook hit only three points in the first three quarters but wound up with his second triple-double of the season, scoring 14 in the final quarter, with 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Clint Capela added 21 points and 12 rebounds for Houston.

The wizards fell just three points short of a franchise record at 158. With 8.1 seconds to go in the fourth, Beal pulled Washington back to tie the score at 158, but it was Harden who tipped Houston into victory.

Celtics 116, Bucks 105

Jazz 110, Clippers 96

Pacers 118, Nets 108

Raptors 125, Pistons 113

Trail Blazers 102, Thunder 99

Cavaliers 117, Bulls 111

Hornets 118, Kings 111