Chase Center. KD vs. CP. Opening Night.
On Thursday afternoon, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Warriors and Phoenix Suns will play on opening night Oct. 24, along with the Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets.
We won’t have to wait long to see Chris Paul go against his former team, the Suns. Hopefully Warriors fans will get their first chance to see Kevin Durant play at Chase Center. Durant played in San Francisco in 2021 when there were no fans allowed in the stands, before missing the 2022 and 2023 matchups at Chase Center with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns, respectively.
Paul spent the past three seasons in Phoenix, before he was traded to the Washington Wizards in the Bradley Beal deal this summer. Soon after, Paul was shipped to the Warriors for a package including Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins and draft picks.
We’re still two-and-a-half months away, but it will be interesting to see if Paul comes off the bench for the first time in his career. Paul has started all 1,363 NBA games since being drafted in 2005, but the 38-year-old is expected by many to take over as Steph Curry’s backup point guard.
Paul and Durant only played 15 games together in Phoenix last year as both players dealt with injuries down the stretch of the season. The Suns will have a new look this fall, as Durant, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton are now joined by the talented Beal on the wing.
The NBA loves marquee matchups for opening night, Christmas Day and MLK Day. The Warriors and Lakers remain huge draws for the TV audience, and the reigning champion Nuggets will square off with LeBron James, who will kick off Year 21.
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