The Warriors fell four points short of a season-opening victory Tuesday night at Chase Center, but Steph Curry and Chris Paul's on-court chemistry was evident in their loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The new Golden State teammates led a 40-point run in the third quarter that gave the Warriors a fleeting lead in their ultimate 108-104 defeat, highlighted by "CP3!" chants throughout the arena and ushering in a new -- albeit unexpected -- era of basketball with Paul in the Bay.
Curry, in his 15th NBA season, only expects things to get better with his rival-turned-backcourt buddy.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "Just continue to get more comfortable, and who's initiating where shots are going to fall or come from, sets that we can run depending on who has the ball. It's very fluid right now," Curry told reporters after the loss of how he sees chemistry with Paul evolving moving forward. "It's such a smooth transition because we both just know how to play, and there's a lot of trust that whoever has the ball is going to try and make the right decisions.
"We're one game, a couple of preseason games under our belt, feeling like there's been a lot of confidence that's been building in terms of what we're trying to do. We're going to obviously continue to get better, 81 more, and when Draymond gets back, there's going to be even more to try to figure out in terms of rotations and all that. We communicate really well. We talk basketball and try to figure it out. That's going to get us in the right position."
Paul started alongside Curry on Tuesday with Draymond Green still working to return from a left sprained ankle, but the 38-year-old veteran didn't score his first basket as a Warriors until the third quarter.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The mutual understanding between Curry and Paul was evident when they were on the court, and the Warriors newcomer upheld his end of the bargain when the Splash Brother wasn't on the floor. Paul helped in two areas where Golden State struggled last season by boosting production in non-Curry minutes and committing just one turnover on the night.
There's still much for the Warriors to improve upon after just one game, like rebounding, but the future looks bright with a pair of high-IQ guards leading the charge.