Suns Defeat Depleted Warriors 131-122 Behind Booker's 43 Points
Phoenix secured its first win of the 2026-27 regular season on Saturday night despite struggling against a severely undermanned Golden State squad.
The Phoenix Suns captured a much-needed 131-122 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at the Mortgage Matchup Center, winning their home opener for the 2026-27 NBA regular season. Devin Booker delivered a standout performance to lift Phoenix to a 1-1 record, scoring 43 points on 17-25 shooting while adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
Booker's dominant display served as a crucial bounce-back game following criticism of his performance in Portland. When the Suns needed him most, their all-time leading scorer stepped up to ensure Phoenix avoided an upset against a heavily compromised opponent.
Entering the matchup, the Warriors faced severe roster depletion. Golden State played without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, and Brandin Podziemski, among others, leaving the team with only 11 available players.
Despite facing such a shorthanded squad, the Suns struggled to comfortably secure the game. Phoenix trailed Golden State at the end of the first quarter before managing a slim three-point lead at halftime. Although the Suns built a ten-point lead in the third quarter, the Warriors mounted a run to narrow the gap, preventing Phoenix from putting the game away easily.
Rebounding emerged as another significant concern for Phoenix. Despite the Warriors missing six of their top seven rebounders from last season—alongside the Suns playing without Mark Williams and Oso Ighodaro—Golden State managed to out-rebound Phoenix 44-42. This followed a previous game where the Trail Blazers dominated the Suns 56-39 on the glass.
Ahead of the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reflected on his deep ties to the Phoenix organization. Now in his 13th season with Golden State, marking the longest active coaching tenure with a single team in the league, Kerr acknowledged the sentimental value of returning to Arizona.
"I always love coming back here," Kerr said prior to the game. "Coming back to Arizona, coming back to the arena where I spent three years as (Suns) GM, my original team as a player and the Suns organization always holds a special place in my heart."