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Charles Barkley is already fast on creating his hot takes to start the 2023-24 NBA season on opening night. During the half-time of the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, he was already concluding the game in favor of the Suns.
In just the first 24 minutes of the contest, the Suns mount a huge run in the second quarter to lead by 15 come half-time against the Warriors.
Giving their early analysis of the game, Charles Barkley said that this game was already done with the Phoenix Suns earning a victory on opening night:
"I try to tell you guys. Everybody can say what they want to, I saw 'em fools on TV today, 'We are not gonna underestimate the Warriors'. The Warriors are cooked."
However, the Warriors were still not done at half-time as they outscored the Suns 40-19 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was a different story as the Suns retaliated and were able to seal a win with a go-ahead basket from Jusuf Nurkic with 10.3 seconds left in the game.
Charles Barkley's prediction was right
As Charles Barkley already predicted the outcome of the Warriors-Suns game during half-time, the victory didn't come easy as Phoenix only won by four points, 108-104.
The Phoenix Suns were led by Devin Booker who tallied 32 points, eight assists, six rebounds and one steal while Kevin Durant finished with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Newcomer Jusuf Nurkick also had a double-double of his own with 14 points and 14 boards.
On the other side of the fence, Steph Curry had 27 points but shot 4-14 from the 3-point line. Klay Thompson also had a tough night shooting 3-11 beyond the arc but was able to finish the game with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chris Paul, on his Warriors debut, flirted with a double-double of 14 points and nine assists.
The Warriors will look to bounce back as they go on the road to battle with rivals Sacramento Kings on October 27. Winning their first game of the season, the Phoenix Suns hope to keep the momentum running when they go to the Crypto.com Arena on October 26 to take on the LA Lakers.
