The Golden State Warriors, led by Coach Steve Kerr, entered Opening Night with tempered expectations, and the contest against the Phoenix Suns proved to be a challenging one. While a few missed opportunities for easy layups and close-range shots might have turned the tide, the Warriors ultimately fell short, losing 108-104 to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at the Chase Center.

 

At the close of the first half, the Warriors found themselves trailing by 15 points, with a lackluster performance from the starting lineup. Notably, Chris Paul struggled to find his scoring touch in his Suns’ revenge game, going 0-for-6 from the field, Klay Thompson managed a 3-for-10 shooting performance, and Andrew Wiggins missed several straightforward opportunities, concluding the first half with a 2-for-8 record from the field.

 

In a shift from last season, the Warriors’ second unit managed to spark a comeback. Paul, alongside Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, and Dario Saric, injected much-needed energy into the team. Moody’s active play on both ends of the court was instrumental, contributing 11 points, three steals, one block, and three rebounds during the first half. This performance propelled the Warriors into a 14-4 run, tying the game at 28-28 to close the first quarter.

 

The third quarter witnessed a resurgence from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, with both players sinking a pair of crucial 3-pointers to initiate the second half. However, Curry faced early foul trouble, prompting the return of Chris Paul to lead a Warriors surge. Paul made a significant impact, scoring his first basket on a jumper with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. His performance gained momentum from there, as he capitalized on the Warriors being in the bonus, drawing an “and-1” opportunity that allowed the Warriors to take their first lead of the half. This accomplishment even spurred the Chase Center crowd to erupt into “CP3” chants.

 

The Warriors outscored the Suns 40-19 in the third quarter, taking a six-point lead into the final period.

 

Despite this impressive showing, Stephen Curry incurred his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, necessitating Paul’s return to the game as Kevin Durant initiated a scoring run to level the playing field. Curry rejoined the action with just over five minutes left in the game, alongside the other starters, although Kuminga replaced Paul in the lineup.