SAN FRANCISCO — Devin Booker scored a go-ahead layup with 4:51 remaining followed by a 3-pointer on the way to 32 points, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 108-104 on Tuesday night in a back-and-forth season opener for the Pacific Division powerhouses.
Stephen Curry scored 27 points to former shooting partner Kevin Durant's 18 on a night the Warriors welcomed KD back for his first game in front of Bay Area fans since leaving after the 2019 NBA Finals.
Curry scored seven straight points early in the third to pull the Warriors within 64-61 at the 8:21 mark and Phoenix called timeout. Golden State opened the third on a 27-5 burst while the Suns went 2 for 14.
Jusuf Nurkic had 14 points and 14 rebounds with a driving layup in the closing seconds in his Suns debut. Josh Okogie knocked down a baseline 3 with 1:09 to play and Eric Gordon connected from long range with 45 seconds left before Curry hit from deep.
Booker started and also had eight assists and six rebounds after coming into the game questionable with soreness in his left big toe. He made his first three shots and scored eight of the Suns’ initial 13 points.
Durant was greeted with warm applause from the fans in their first time seeing him since he led the Warriors to a pair of championships with two NBA Finals MVP awards and three straight Finals berths from 2017-19.
The Warriors played video highlights and welcomed him back on the big screen during pregame introductions. Durant patted his heart and raised his arm in the air to acknowledge the love then shot 7 for 22 with 10 rebounds.
Durant played at Chase Center in February 2021 with Brooklyn when no fans were allowed in the building because of the pandemic then was injured this past March when the Suns last visited.
Chris Paul contributed 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his Warriors debut facing his most recent team. Golden State acquired him on draft night from the Wizards — he never played in Washington — for Jordan Poole.
Paul missed his first six shots and all six of his 3-point tries.
TIP-INS
Suns: G Bradley Beal missed the game with low back tightness but first-year coach Frank Vogel is optimistic he will play Thursday at the Lakers. “He is trying to loosen up the back and he just isn’t ready yet,” Vogel said. ... Phoenix had lost 18 of the previous 22 on Golden State's home floor.
Warriors: The Warriors have lost only five of their last 12 openers and are 44-34 playing their first home game of a season. ... F Draymond Green, out the entire preseason with a sprained left ankle, missed the season opener for the second time in his career after a sore foot kept him out for the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season
SHOOTAROUNDS
Golden State didn't hold a morning shootaround for Game 1 and coach Steve Kerr expects that to be the norm again this season as was the Warriors' custom last season to give a veteran roster ample rest.
PASTOR RETURNS
Longtime Warriors and 49ers team chaplain Earl Smith returned to the arena after he missed the end of last season following an accident at All-Star weekend in Utah when an Uber driver started to go when he had only one leg in the vehicle.
UP NEXT
Suns: Visit the Lakers on Thursday night having lost the last two matchups on the road.
Warriors: At Sacramento on Friday night in a rematch of the first round of the playoffs won by Golden State in Game 7.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.