The Golden State Warriors have been a steady force in the NBA for nearly a decade now. They are a dynasty that is getting older but one that keeps producing on the hardwood.
The Phoenix Suns are the new big thing in the NBA. With a superstar trio featuring Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, there is tons of hype and excitement about the direction of the franchise. However, we have yet to see it play out on the court.
NBA fans will get their first taste of Suns' basketball during NBA Opening Night when they take on the Warriors, a team that has been in contention for way longer but is still one of the most entertaining in basketball. Here is everything that you need to know on how to watch the NBA Opening Night battle.
When and where is NBA Opening Night?
In one of two games on NBA Opening Night, the Suns will travel to take on the Warriors' home to tip off the NBA season. The game will be played at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. The game is on Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch Suns vs. Warriors
The game will be broadcast on TNT. It can be streamed on SlingTV or YouTube TV. The Suns vs. Warriors game will be a back-to-back after the Los Angeles Lakers take on the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 24 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Chase Center — San Francisco, California
TV channel: TNT | Live stream: SlingTV or YouTube TV
Odds: Warriors -1 | O/U 232.5
Phoenix Suns' big three
Few teams have garnered so much hype in such a short span as the Phoenix Suns have. Phoenix went to the NBA Finals in 2020-21, but they have a drastically different team now. The big three of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker give the Suns one of the scariest rosters in league history. All three are in the top 20 for career scoring averages among active players, and the expectations is that the trio will dominate the rest of the league.
Of course, everything about the Suns is strictly theoretical right now. While they have tons of talent on paper, there are still questions about whether it will translate to the hardwood. The big three are all ball-dominant players, and there are concerns about the team's style of play, defense, playmaking abilities, and depth. None of this may matter, though, as Durant, Beal, and Booker can all score with (or better than) anybody.
“We've got guys that command respect out there,” Durant said about Phoenix's potent offensive trio. If [Booker] drives to the rim, there's going to be guys coming over and converging. Same with [Beal], same with myself… You can't guard all of us at once.”
All three superstars can score at all three levels, and they are some of the toughest shot-makers in the league who rarely have bad nights. However, we have seen a superstar scoring trio featuring Durant fail in the past. Durant was teamed up with James Harden and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets. On paper, that was another beyond-belief-stacked team, but it didn't translate to as much winning as most assumed.
Phoenix Suns' new-look roster
The Suns core isn't completely brand new, though. While Beal wasn't brought in until this offseason, Durant and Booker did spend some time together last year. Durant was traded for at the trade deadline, and while an injury forced him to only play eight games with Booker in the regular season, we did get a better glimpse of the team's potential in the postseason. The Suns took care of business against the Clippers in a quick five-game series, and while they did lose to the eventual champion Nuggets, Booker and Durant showed off just how much scoring pop they have. The Suns were Denver's toughest challenge in the playoffs, and Booker and Durant averaged 30.8 and 29.5 points per game, respectively.
Phoenix has 13 new players on their roster. Jusuf Nurkic, Eric Gordon, Drew Eubanks, Nassir Little, and Grayson Allen are just a few names from the massive roster turnover. These players are supposed to be the answers to many of the questions surrounding Phoenix. Nurkic is a great passer for a big man, Gordon, Eubanks, and Allen provide depth, and Little and returning small forward Josh Okogie can bring some defense. The Suns will need to prove it, but the team has the potential to be other-worldly.
Golden State Warriors storylines
As a team that has been together for a long time, the Warriors are somewhat of the antithesis of the Suns. Golden State won their fourth championship in the Steve Kerr era in 2021-22, and there is still time for the dynasty to do more damage.
While Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are still leading the charge for the Warriors, there are some new faces in town. The biggest is Chris Paul. He is still one of the greatest point guards of all time, and the Warriors seem like the perfect place for him to finally capture a championship ring.
While a veteran chasing rings on a contender isn't anything new, Chris Paul's situation is a little bit different than the average veteran joining a great team in the twilight of their career. The 38-year-old isn't the same player he once was, but he is still an elite-level point guard. Paul is still talented enough that the Warriors had to trade draft capital and a young and improving player in Jordan Poole just to acquire him.
While there is more that goes into that trade than meets the eye because Poole had chemistry issues on the Warriors, it was still a fascinating trade, especially considering Paul and the Warriors players haven't always gotten along themselves, either.
Paul has played his entire career as a starter, but it seems he may come off of the bench for Golden State. The Warriors' bench could use a steady floor general like Paul, but there will still be plenty of opportunities for him to run with the starters. Steph Curry is a point guard by name, but he spends so much time off of the ball that the duo should be able to pair together in the backcourt quite nicely.
Suns vs. Warriors on NBA Opening Night
For a few years now, the Warriors had looked to get younger in an effort to prepare for the future while still trying to win in the present. That philosophy didn't really work the way they planned. The Warriors won a championship two seasons ago, but James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga didn't play huge parts in it. T
he Wiseman experiment was a failure, and he was traded last season. Moody and Kuminga are still in town, and although they are still rotation-caliber players, they haven't panned out as well as Golden State had hoped. The Paul trade signals the team is taking a new direction, and the Warriors are going all-in on one more championship.
The road to a championship starts on opening night, but the Warriors will have to go at it against the Suns without Draymond Green. The defensive genius is out with an ankle injury. The injury shouldn't keep Green out for too long, but it is a concern for the team. The aging roster has been dealing with injuries on a more frequent basis in recent years, and one of their best players starting the season out the season not at full strength isn't a great sign.
Green's absence also comes at an un-ideal time, considering the Suns offense is expected to be so dangerous. Green is not only the Warriors' best defender, but he is their most versatile defender. He likely would have been able to give any of the members of the Suns' big three a run for their money. Now, the Suns have an easier path to proving early that they are as good as many believe they can be.
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