Suns beat Warriors 108-104 in Kevin Durant’s return to The Bay

Kevin Durant welcomed lotsof of the individuals he understood so well throughout 3 mind-blowing seasons with the Warriors then barely revealed off his finest shooting efficiency on a night the Golden State fans lastly got to cheer him all these years lateron.

He still ruined the home group’s opening night as the Phoenix Suns won the veryfirst match inbetween the Pacific Division powerhouses.

“It’s constantly excellent to be acknowledged for the work you put in, so it was amazing to see individuals I hadn’t seen in a while, some familiar dealswith,” Durant stated. “I feel like the fan base here got absolutelynothing however love and regard for me as an specific gamer and as a individual. That’s all I can ask for.”

Devin Booker scored a consent layup with 4: 51 staying followed by a 3-guideline on the method to 32 points in a 108-104 Phoenix triumph on Tuesday night in a back-and-forth surface.

Stephen Curry scored 27 points to previous shooting partner Durant’s 18 on a night the Warriors invited KD back for his veryfirst videogame in front of Bay Area fans consideringthat he left after the 2019 NBA Finals.

Curry scored 7 straight points early in the 3rd to pull the Warriors within 64-61 at the 8: 21 mark and Phoenix called a timeout. Golden State opened the 3rd 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 launching. Josh Okogie knocked down a standard 3 with 1: 09 to play and Eric Gordon linked from long variety with 45 seconds left before Curry hit from deep.

Booker began and likewise had 8 helps and 6 rebounds after coming into the videogame doubtful with pain in his left huge toe. He made his veryfirst 3 shots and scored 8 of the Suns’ preliminary 13 points.

Durant was welcomed with warm applause from the fans in their veryfirst time seeing him because he led the Warriors to a set of champions with 2 NBA Finals MVP awards and 3 straight Finals berths from 2017-19.

The Warriors played video highlights on the huge screen throughout pregame intros. Durant patted his heart and raised his arm in the air to acknowledge the love then shot 7 for 22 with 10 rebounds.

“A lot of great minutes in the video. We was able to relive some of those memories genuine fast,” Durant stated. “But it was great to come in here and get the season began off right with a W.”

Durant played at Chase Center in February 2021 with Brooklyn when no fans were permitted in the structure since of the pandemic then was hurt this previous March when the Suns last checkedout.

Chris Paul contributed 14 points, 9 helps and 6 rebounds in his Warriors launching dealingwith his most current group. Golden State obtained him on draft night from the Wizards — he neverever played in Washington — for Jordan Poole.

Paul missedouton his veryfirst 6 shots and all 6 of his 3-point attempts however had 3 early helps.

“He’s a rhythm gamer so he’s truly excellent at getting you the ball in areas you desire it,” guard Moses Moody stated.

Reporting by The Associated Press.