Japan forward Yuta Watanabe had eight points with four rebounds as the Phoenix Suns overcame a six-point final-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors 108-104 in their NBA season opener Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who joined Phoenix in the offseason on a two-year contract, came off the bench to go 3-for-5 from the field in 17 minutes at San Francisco's Chase Center. He tied the game 88-88 pulling up for a jump shot in the lane with just under 10 minutes to go.
"They've been helping me a lot, I can feel like they definitely trust in me, giving me the ball down the stretch like that," Watanabe said of his new teammates. "I'm glad that I made that shot and I thought that was a big shot."
"My important role while I'm on the court is to play with all my energy and make open shots like that...I believe I'll have around five or six shots per game like today and I'll be asked to nail them at key moments. I was totally open at that moment and I think I can't play in games without hitting those."
Devin Booker led with 32 points, with Jusuf Nurkic getting 14 rebounds. Stephen Curry sank 27 for the Warriors, who rallied from 61-46 down at halftime to lead 86-80 after the third quarter.
Japan forward Rui Hachimura had six points and three rebounds, meanwhile, as the Los Angeles Lakers lost their opener 119-107 to last season's champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Also starting from the bench, Hachimura played 14 minutes and went 3-for-10 from the field, and 0-for-3 from three-point range.
The Nuggets, who swept the Lakers 4-0 in last season's Western Conference Finals, led after each quarter at Denver's Ball Arena with Nikola Jokic notching a match-high 29 points.
Related coverage:
Basketball: Yuta Watanabe ready to make impact for title-chasing Suns
Basketball: Watanabe, Hachimura gunning for title in new NBA season
Basketball: Germany wins World Cup in Philippines, Japan, Indonesia
