Booker, Durant lead Suns past Warriors

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.