Booker's 43 Saves Suns — Warriors Fall to 0–3 Despite Lendeborg's Six Threes
GOATIFYThe Phoenix Suns needed a response after a 41-point opening-night loss. Devin Booker delivered one emphatically: 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 131–122 win over the Golden State Warriors on October 24. His scoring set a Phoenix franchise record for a home opener, and the victory offered a more encouraging first glimpse of what the Suns' revamped supporting cast can do when the ball moves.
There was an equally uncomfortable headline on the other side. Golden State fell to 0–3 for the first time since 2007–08, although the Warriors were missing Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski and Al Horford. The short-handed visitors made 17 three-pointers and repeatedly punished Phoenix on the offensive glass. This was not a tidy Suns victory. It was a star-led rescue with a few revealing lessons for both teams.
Booker's 43 points turned an ugly opening week into a record night
Booker entered the home opener with a simple assignment: make Phoenix look more like a coherent NBA offense than the group overwhelmed 124–83 by Portland in its first game. He did not wait for his teammates' outside shots to fall. In the opening quarter, with the Suns making only one of 12 attempts from deep, Booker repeatedly attacked inside the arc. He scored 10 of Phoenix's 22 first-quarter points while Golden State took a 25–22 lead.
That early stretch matters because it separates the final number from the way it was built. Forty-three points can arrive in a flurry of difficult jumpers. Booker's night instead began with deliberate shot selection: getting to comfortable areas, finishing in traffic and forcing the defense to react before it could sit on Phoenix's perimeter options. He had 19 points by halftime, when the Suns held a narrow 57–54 lead despite the Warriors' advantage on the glass.
His decisive burst came in the third. Booker played all 12 minutes, went six-for-six from the field and scored 17 points without missing a shot. Two made threes and three successful free throws helped him reach 36 through three quarters. Phoenix scored 45 points in the period, transforming a three-point halftime edge into a 102–92 advantage. Jordan Goodwin's three at the buzzer supplied the final punctuation, but Booker had already changed the tone of the contest.
By the finish, the five-time All-Star had seven rebounds and seven assists to accompany 43 points, a performance that exceeded Charles Barkley's previous Suns home-opener scoring mark of 37 from 1992. The comparison is a franchise milestone, not a claim that one October game settles anything about the season. What Phoenix can take from it is more practical: when an opponent denies easy early threes, Booker can still create reliable offense without sacrificing the passing that keeps other players involved.
The Suns will not want their offense to require a 43-point performance every night. Yet an efficient lead creator can stabilize an uneven lineup while new combinations learn each other's timing. Booker gave Phoenix a winning template for one evening, and the next challenge is distributing more of that burden across the roster.
Phoenix found its spacing in a 45-point third quarter
The game was not just a one-man scoring exhibition. Phoenix shot 58.1 percent from the field, recorded 33 assists on 50 made baskets and outscored Golden State 27–7 in fast-break points. Those numbers describe an offense that began the night stuck in first gear and gradually found several ways to create advantages. A team can shoot well because one player catches fire; 33 assists suggest a broader improvement in how possessions were shared.
The contrast between the first and third quarters is especially striking. Phoenix opened one-for-12 from beyond the arc, then made six of eight threes in a third quarter in which it shot 16-for-20 overall. The Warriors could no longer pack the paint without conceding open catch-and-shoot chances. Once the outside threat became credible, driving lanes and passing windows grew wider. The change did not erase the slow start, but it showed why a functional spacing scheme can be more valuable than any one set play.
Collin Gillespie contributed 11 points and nine assists, an important secondary source of organization when Booker was not controlling every touch. Miles Bridges added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Dillon Brooks finished with 15 points and five assists. None of those totals will dominate a headline beside Booker's 43. Together they explain how Phoenix reached 131 rather than simply winning a narrow individual duel.
Luke Kennard's role may be a particularly useful sign for the weeks ahead. The veteran scored 11 points and made three of five shots from deep in his Suns debut. His three-pointer with about six minutes remaining pushed Phoenix's lead to 117–102, making the final minutes more manageable. Kennard's value is not only the points he scores; his shooting forces a defender to stay attached, which can create room for Booker and the team's other ball handlers before Kennard even receives a pass.
There is still an obvious concern. Golden State collected 19 offensive rebounds and turned its extra opportunities into 26 second-chance points, compared with only nine for Phoenix. A team cannot rely indefinitely on 58-percent shooting to offset losing that many possessions. The Suns' defense and box-outs must become more consistent, especially against opponents with greater size and a healthier rotation. Saturday demonstrated real offensive upside, but it also identified a weakness that better teams will attack repeatedly.
Lendeborg's six threes were real — so was Golden State's 0–3 hole
Golden State did not fold after arriving in Phoenix without four important veterans. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led the Warriors with 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists, making six of 11 three-pointers. De'Anthony Melton added 25 points on eight-for-13 shooting, including four threes, while Brandon Williams scored 20. The visitors shot 17-for-39 from deep and stayed close enough that the Suns could never treat the final period as a formality.
Lendeborg's line deserves attention beyond the six makes from long range. His nine rebounds and five assists suggest a player contributing in several phases rather than simply benefiting from an unusually hot shooting night. He also helped Golden State create extra possessions. Graham Ike supplied 12 points and 10 rebounds, and the Warriors' 19 offensive boards were one reason a team shooting only 45.1 percent overall could score 122 against a Phoenix side hitting nearly everything.
But the loss is still the loss. The Warriors trailed 102–92 after three quarters and could not consistently slow the Suns when the game tilted toward Booker. Their own shooting and rebounding kept the margin respectable, yet the defense surrendered 45 points in one period. That is too much to overcome against a lead guard playing with the efficiency Booker displayed.
There is also a fair distinction between an injury-driven defeat and a structural crisis. Curry was out with a right-knee issue, while Podziemski, Green and Horford were sidelined with back concerns. Golden State was playing its third game in four days. Those circumstances changed the rotation, ball-handling hierarchy and defensive communication. It would be misleading to treat Saturday's lineup as the definitive version of the Warriors that will compete over 82 games.
Still, 0–3 is not a fictional problem simply because there are explanations. Golden State also let a late lead slip away against Memphis the previous night, when the Grizzlies closed on a dramatic run. Against Phoenix, the issue was different: the Warriors generated enough offense to compete but lacked the defensive answers when Booker seized control. The young players have offered useful signs. The team now needs its veterans back and must show it can finish possessions at both ends.
The next test is whether Phoenix can repeat it without another 43
Phoenix's reward for getting off the mark is a Monday trip to Oklahoma City. The Thunder will present a different level of defensive organization and a sharper test of whether the Suns' new spacing can hold up when the first option is denied. Booker can win individual matchups against almost anyone, but a serious offense must also produce quality possessions on nights when he scores 25 instead of 43. Gillespie's passing, Kennard's movement shooting and the team's ability to attack in transition will matter as much as the headline star.
The rebounding numbers from Saturday should travel with Phoenix on that trip. Allowing 19 offensive boards against a short-handed opponent is an invitation for second-chance trouble. The Suns can improve the situation through more disciplined box-outs, quicker help-side rotations and better decisions about when to leak out for transition. Their 27–7 fast-break advantage showed how dangerous they can be after a clean stop; the missing piece is securing the stop in the first place.
Golden State heads to Denver on Monday, and the Warriors' medical situation will shape that matchup. A healthy Curry changes defensive coverages before the ball crosses half court, while Green's communication and Horford's experience affect the structure behind the play. Neither veteran presence guarantees a win, but the current 0–3 record cannot be evaluated without considering how many familiar pieces have been unavailable.
The rookie performances create a productive dilemma for Steve Kerr. Lendeborg has already shown he can score, rebound and make quick decisions against NBA opponents. When the established players return, he should not be reduced to a spectator simply because the rotation becomes crowded. Finding minutes for emerging contributors while restoring the veterans' roles may be one of the more important early-season coaching tasks.
One October result is too small a sample for a verdict on either team's ceiling. The Suns should celebrate a record home-opener performance and their first win while recognizing that they shot unusually well. The Warriors should take encouragement from their younger contributors without hiding from the defensive failures and late-game problems. The useful question is not which team won the opening-week narrative. It is which lessons survive the next ten games.
Booker's 43 was the difference between another miserable opening-week headline and a 131–122 Suns victory. His efficient scoring gave Phoenix room to discover useful contributions from Kennard, Gillespie, Bridges and Brooks. The Warriors, meanwhile, got genuine production from Lendeborg and Melton but fell to 0–3 with a depleted lineup.
Both teams leave the night with evidence and unanswered questions. Phoenix has a path toward a more connected offense if it fixes the glass. Golden State has promising young talent but needs its veteran structure and more reliable defense. The next games will show whether Saturday was a turning point or simply a spectacular Booker performance.
