Early Warriors 'cooked' call; coach hints at wary LeBron move amid ...

The NBA defending champions made an early statement in Wednesday’s season opener (all times AEST).

Plus the Suns kicked off their campaign in strong fashion behind a red-hot Devin Booker.

Catch up on all the day’s action in our NBA Wrap!

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BOOKER TORCHES WARRIORS AMID LEGEND’S EARLY ‘COOKED’ CALL

The Phoenix Suns edged out the Golden State Warriors 108-104 for a big road win as Devin Booker went off for a game-high 32 points.

Booker shot 13-of-21 from the floor and dished out eight assists, while Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 14 rebounds in his Suns debut. Kevin Durant, who was playing in front of Warriors fans at their home for the first time since he departed the team after the 2018/19 season, had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

For the Warriors, Steph Curry led the way with 27 points and Chris Paul had 14 points and nine assists in the 38-year old’s debut for his sixth team.

Both teams were missing key stars, with a back injury denying Bradley Beal from playing his first game for the Suns since his blockbuster trade from Washington, while Draymond Green was out with an ankle issue.

A game that went down to the wire after Curry’s three-pointer got the Warriors within two with 31.1 seconds remaining, Booker assisted Nurkic’s game-sealing layup at the other end of the floor.

Booker lit it up early with 15 of his side’s 28 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Phoenix then broke away in the second quarter as Durant got going and Nurkic was active on the glass to see the visitors take a 15-point advantage into half-time.

It prompted NBA legend Charles Barkley at half-time on NBA on TNT to declare the Warriors, just half a game into an 82-match season, were “cooked.”

Golden State showed it was anything but in the second half, surging back into the contest with a 40-point third term to suddenly push ahead by six points at Chase Centre.

After a back-and-fourth final quarter, Booker came up big down the stretch of the fourth including generating eight-straight points to clinch the win for his side.

NUGS’ PERFECT START TO TITLE DEFENCE IN JOKER DOMINATION

The Denver Nuggets took down the LA Lakers 119-107 as reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic picked up right where he left off with a commanding triple-double performance (29 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) — the 106th of his career.

In a game Nuggets players received their championship rings as the team raised its first banner in franchise history, Denver tipped off the 2023-2024 season with a display which suggested they’ll once again be one of the teams to beat.

Jokic was well supported by Jamal Murray (21 points, six assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (20 points) as all Nuggets starters scored in double figures, while LeBron James led the Lakers with 21 points in just 29 minutes.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham confirmed post-match he’d look to manage the 38-year old James’ workload this year and keep his minutes in the 28-30 range.

“We’ll see. In all likelihood, yes,” the Lakers coach said, admitting it could vary depending on other factors.

Anthony Davis meanwhile posted 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks but went scoreless in the second half. The rest of the Lakers starters also scored in double figures, with recruit Taurean Prince chipping in 18 points with four triples.

“I think the whole ceremony gave us a boost,” Jokic said after the win. “We didn’t want anything to ruin our night.

“The first half was amazing for us but then we kind of slowed down... But then at the end of the game we were really good and we won the game.”

There was a bit of added spice after the two teams played in the Western Conference Finals followed by some blowback from the Lakers camp over Denver’s trash talking after its title triumph.

But it was time to let the basketball to do the talking.

The Nuggets came out hot from the opening tip, with Ball Arena bursting with energy after the team’s pre-game ring ceremony and raising of its inaugural banner.

It saw the home side lead by as much as 18 throughout stages of the second quarter as it threatened to blow out the Lakers.

The Nuggets’ early domination including James, 38, having some uncharacteristic off moments — getting blocked by Christian Braun and Reggie Jackson drilling a three-pointer in front of him after the Lakers superstar fell to the ground.

But LA pushed right back into the contest late in the second quarter, then again, late in the third — closing the period with 5-0 run to reduce Denver’s lead to 87-80 at the last change.

The Lakers continued their push in the final stanza, with a James three-pointer getting the Lakers within three at 92-89.

Malone’s side then maximised the following minutes with James off the court, pushing back out to double digits during a run that included a Jokic triple and mid-range jumper.

The Nuggets continued to show their championship pedigree, pulling away down the stretch whenever the Lakers got close including a Michael Porter Jr dagger, which ballooned their lead out to 14 with just over three minutes on the clock.

It prompted the home fans to mischievously chant ‘who’s your daddy?” late in the game as their side started its season on a perfect note.

Jokic believes the Nuggets have what it takes to challenge for back-to-back titles.

“We have the opportunity,” he told the TNT television network. “You never know what the season’s gonna bring. But our offense was good and our defense was good.

“If we play like this tonight, I think we have a chance. Why not?”

FULL RESULTS

LAKERS 107 - NUGGETS 119

SUNS 108 - WARRIORS 104