After falling down by 15 points at halftime, the new-look Golden State Warriors looked like they were heading toward a blowout loss on the opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season. However, with an inspired third-quarter run, led by Chris Paul, the Warriors catapulted into an eight-point lead at the start of the final frame.
Despite their third-quarter explosion, the Warriors still had no answer for Devin Booker, Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic down the stretch. Booker helped seal the Suns’ 108-104 win in a thriller with decisive playmaking in the final minutes.
The Warriors didn’t help themselves against the Suns, with poor shooting, missing 15 layups in the game and only shooting 35.5% from the field and 23.6% from beyond the arc against the Suns.
Following the Warriors’ loss on opening night, here’s a look at some of the studs and duds from Tuesday’s game at Chase Center in San Francisco.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Stud: Chris Paul
There’s no doubt Chris Paul’s jumper needed to shake off some rust on Tuesday night. The veteran point guard posted an ugly 4-of-15 shooting from the field and an even uglier 0-of-6 from deep against the Suns. Yet, let’s look at Paul’s performance with a glass-half-full approach.
Paul fueled the Warriors’ comeback in the third quarter, and we got to see a glimpse of what Mike Dunleavy Jr. envisioned with the 12-time All-Star in Steve Kerr’s rotation.
In the third quarter alone, Paul tallied 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Paul also got to the free-throw line twice by baiting fouls in his signature fashion.
Paul finished the game with only one turnover in 31 minutes.
On the other side of the floor, Paul played solid defense to slow down the Suns’ explosive offense.
Dud: Andrew Wiggins
Despite scoring 10 points, Andrew Wiggins was essentially invisible on Tuesday night. The former All-Star shot just 4-of-12 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Wiggins also only registered one rebound with zero assists against the Suns.
Late in the game, with the score tight, Steve Kerr opted to use Jonathan Kuminga in the closing lineup instead of Wiggins.
For the Warriors to contend in the Western Conference, they will simply need Wiggins to be better. To hang with teams like the Suns, the Warriors will need Wiggins to answer the bell.
Stud: Moses Moody
After a slow start by Golden State’s veterans, Moses Moody came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark. Moody was one of the few members of the Warriors to shoot the ball well, hitting a pair of clutch 3-pointers.
Shades of Andre Iguodala, Moody also gave the Warriors some juice on defense, swiping a career-high three steals.
The Arkansas product finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes off the bench.
Dud: 3-Point Shooting
The Warriors started the season ice-cold from beyond the arc.
The Splash Brothers backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson couldn’t spark Golden State’s long-distance attack, finishing a combined 7-of-25 from deep.
Chris Paul, Gary Payton II and Andrew Wiggins combined to go 0-11 from behind the 3-point line against the Suns. Moses Moody and Dario Saric were the only other members of the Warriors to see the ball go through the net from deep.
Whenever Curry and Thompson lead your offense, you will need to rely on 3-point shooting. However, it was nowhere to be found on Tuesday. The Warriors finished shooting a rough 23.3% from deep (23.3%).
Stud: Turnover Differential
With the addition of Chris Paul, there was a heavy emphasis on turnovers during the offseason. Last season, the Warriors lead the NBA with 16.3 turnovers.
On Tuesday, the Warriors only registered 11 turnovers. Through the first three quarters, the Warriors notched only six turnovers. While the Warriors kept the ball tight, the Suns tossed the rock all over the court on Tuesday. The Suns punched 19 turnovers on Tuesday. However, the Warriors turned the ball over five times in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.
Steph Curry only dished out two turnovers. Klay Thompson led the team with only three turnovers. Andrew Wiggins, Dario Saric and Gary Payton II all played over 20 minutes without committing a turnover.
Despite winning the turnover differential battle, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Suns on Tuesday night.
