Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to lead Suns vs. Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors and the host Phoenix Suns will play at half-capacity again on Wednesday in a rematch of their opening-night meeting.

Short-handed Suns, Warriors set for rematch of season opener

On Oct. 24, the Suns opened the season with a 108-104 victory over Golden State, led by Devin Booker’s 32 points and Kevin Durant’s 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Two players were absent from the first encounter, and they will be absent again in the rematch.

Draymond Green of the Warriors is presently serving a five-game suspension after suffering a sprained ankle early in the season.

Meanwhile, Bradley Beal of the Suns is still dealing with a lower-back ailment. After missing the first seven games of the season, he has now missed the last four for Phoenix.

Former All-Stars’ absences aren’t the only thing the teams have in common. The previous result was a foreshadowing of things to come for both clubs.

Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant climbs up scoring list in win over Portland  Trail Blazers | NBA News - Times of India

The Suns went on to win four more games on the road, improving to 5-2 away from Phoenix this season. However, they have struggled at home, needing a 120-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday to improve to 3-4 on the season.

Meanwhile, the Warriors had lost six of seven games at home until defeating the Houston Rockets 121-116 on Monday. However, they have nearly reached.500 for the season (7-8) by going 5-2 on the road.

With the Warriors’ visit, Chris Paul will make his first trip back to Phoenix since being traded by the Suns to the Washington Wizards in June. In a July trade involving Jordan Poole, the Wizards relocated him to Golden State.

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker lead Suns to victory over Trail Blazers -  TalkBasket.net

In his career, Paul has had more than his fair share of success versus the Suns. In 46 career games against Phoenix, he has averaged 19.3 points and 9.2 assists.

After being assigned to the bench, Paul made his Warriors debut last month, finishing with 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals in a loss to the Suns.

His long-term position is unknown (he is still starting while Green is out), but Warriors coach Steve Kerr has stated that he will finish even if he does not start.

“He was amazing,” Kerr said of Paul’s 15-point, 12-assist performance in Monday’s victory. “Having Chris down the stretch, organizing us… he got the ball down low to Dario (Saric) late and he got fouled for the two free throws, called another play where Steph (Curry) got a layup.” The benefit of having Chris on the court is that he is a true point guard, organizer, and game-closer.”

While the Warriors rested on Tuesday, the Suns pushed Durant and Booker to play 37 and 33 minutes, respectively, in a close win over the Trail Blazers.

Beating Portland meant sabotaging Deandre Ayton’s return, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. The home fans will now get the opportunity to welcome back Paul as well as Saric, another former Sun.

“There’s a lot of history there,” added Booker. “Deandre, there’s a lot of development and growth from being the No. 1 pick to making that Finals run.” At the same time, Chris was a significant part of it. I give them credit. Dario as well.”