With 3 stars out, Quinn Cook gets the job done as...

PHOENIX — In the 32 months since he went undrafted out of Duke, Quinn Cook has been waived four times and signed three 10-day contracts. Capable showings in NBA cameos weren’t enough to convince a front office to sign him to a long-term deal.

In recent months, as he yo-yoed between the defending NBA champions and their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, Cook took solace knowing that all he had endured only prepared him for when an extended opportunity would finally arrive. Those who still doubted whether he is an NBA-caliber player were hushed Saturday night, when Cook — one of two Warriors on a two-way contract — powered a depleted team to a 124-109 win over the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Making his fifth straight start with Stephen Curry sidelined by a tweaked right ankle, Cook erupted for a career-high 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting — including 5-for-7 from three-point range — in 40 minutes. He scored 16 points and made all six of his shots during a third quarter in which Golden State outscored Phoenix 42-25.

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“I put in a lot of time in the offseason and during the season, so I always wanted to stay ready,” said Cook, who has 53 points on 30 shots in his past two games. “I never wanted to have the opportunity and not be ready, so that’s always kind of been my mind-set.”

It was just one memorable performance on a night the Warriors showcased their depth. Draymond Green — the only one of the four All-Stars available — had 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Nick Young bounced back from Friday’s dud with 20 points and seven rebounds. Completely out of the rotation much of the season, Kevon Looney scored a career-high 13 points and swatted six shots — the most by an NBA reserve this season.

“I’m proud of what our guys did tonight,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “It was a real group effort.”

The last time Golden State faced Phoenix, on Feb. 12 at Oracle Arena, Kerr — desperate to motivate his team in the lead-up to the All-Star break — turned over his timeout huddles to his players. It worked to the tune of a 46-point rout, the Warriors’ most lopsided win ever over the Suns.

Phoenix forward Jared Dudley told ESPN after that game that Kerr showed “a lack of respect for an opponent, and maybe right now we don’t deserve respect.” The Suns seemed well-positioned for redemption Saturday.

Though Phoenix was again without guard Devin Booker (right hand sprain), Golden State was without three All Stars — Curry, Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb) and Kevin Durant (fractured rib) — who account for two-thirds of its per-game offensive production. And the Warriors were playing less than 24 hours after a draining loss to Sacramento in Oakland.

Such fatigue was obvious as Golden State gave up open driving lanes, missed wide-open shots and dug a 15-point hole midway through the second quarter. Moments later, after Young and Phoenix forward Dragan Bender exchanged words near the Suns’ bench, Kerr stomped toward Young and embraced him.

With his rotation already thinned by injury, Kerr was trying to avoid losing a key player to ejection. After intermission, the two teams’ roles — one the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed, the other a young squad jostling for lottery position — began to crystallize.

Green, barking commands on both ends of the court, helped begin the festivities by knifing through the key for a two-handed dunk. After Cook hit back-to-back three-pointers midway through the period, a fan sitting courtside returned from the concession stand to ask his friend: “What the f— happened?”

Little more than two minutes later, Jordan Bell nabbed a steal, raced downcourt and threw down a dunk to cap a 31-9 run and give the Warriors an 88-76 lead. The Suns quickly inched back within five points, only to fall victim to yet another Golden State rally.

With the outcome long rid of doubt, Cook drained a corner three-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, turned around, hopped on one foot and smiled. Finally, after nearly three years on professional basketball’s fringes, he is showing he belongs.

Kerr’s staff has mapped out a plan to maximize Cook’s NBA opportunities the rest of the regular season. But to use Cook in the playoffs, Golden State would need to waive someone from its 15-man roster.

“I think he’s definitely forcing the hand, and it’s great,” Green said. “All you can do is put yourself in a position to make someone make a decision.”