Okogie and Nurkic Go Off in the Bay Area!

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        The Phoenix Suns usually begin their season at home but this year that changed. The Suns played their first game of the season in the Bay Area against the Golden State Warriors. There was a lot of familiarity in this game as Chris Paul, who is now on the Warriors, played the past couple season for the Suns and Kevin Durant played for the Warriors for three seasons and won two championships including winning two Finals MVP awards. This was actually the first time since 2019 that Kevin Durant has played in the Bay Area. 




        This game was very tight but ultimately the Suns were able to get their first win of the season on the road. The Suns made a lot of changes to their roster and coaching staff this summer. While they still have a long way to go on getting comfortable with one another, this game showed they are starting off in the right direction. While Kevin Durant had a sloppy offensive night and Devin Booker did go for 32 points, some performances that stood out were from Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic. 




        Josh Okogie re-signed with the Phoenix Suns this summer as free agent, a 2-year, $5.7 Million deal. In the first game of the season Okogie made a lot of winning plays and was aggressive from the jump. Okogie went for 17 points shooting 7 of 9 from the field (78%) and 1 for 1 from 3 point range (100%). He also grabbed 5 rebounds including 4 offensive rebounds. Okogie is known for his excellent defense and definitely left an impact on that side of the ball, including finishing the game with a steal and a block. 




        Nurkic arrived to the Suns in a three-team deal that sent Deandre Ayton to Portland. While Nurkic isn't necessarily an upgrade from Ayton he is definitely a better fit. In the season opener Nurkic went for 14 points shooting 5 for 8 from the field (63%) including 1 out of 2 from 3 point range (50%). The big man also grabbed 14 rebounds including 3 offensive rebounds. Nurkic kicked off the season with a new team and a strong double-double. 



Location: Florida, USA

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