Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors came up just short in their Opening Night contest against the Phoenix Suns. However, while it may have come in a loss, head coach Steve Kerr couldn't have been more impressed with how Thompson guarded Kevin Durant.

Golden State lost 108-104. Still, Thompson held Durant to just 18 points on seven-of-22 shots from the floor. As the Warriors march forward on their season, Kerr is hoping to see that same defensive tenacity from Thompson, via NBCS.

“I thought Klay was great. He did his best to make things difficult on Kevin,” Kerr said. “There's not a whole lot you can do once he rises up and gets that release above his head. You just have to do your work early.”

“I thought Klay did that. He was physical with him off the ball. Tried to force him into some tougher spots,” Kerr continued. “Kevin missed some that he'll make next time. But Klay as really solid defensively.”

The Warriors entered their matchup with the Suns already down Draymond Green, as he is nursing an ankle injury. After trading for Chris Paul this offseason, Golden State is expected to play a lot of small ball lineups overall. There might be more situations where Klay Thompson is put in a position where he has to guard a bigger player.

However, Steve Kerr isn't concerned about the mismatch. While they may have come away with a loss, Kerr knows the Warriors showed a lot of good against the Suns. One of their biggest wins was the defense Thompson played on Durant.

If both teams hit the heights their hoping for, another Thompson vs. Durant matchup could be in the pipeline.