The Phoenix Suns will commence the 2009-10 campaign this
evening, when they pay a visit to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
Phoenix went 46-36 last year and missed the playoffs after making four
straight appearances in the postseason. Terry Porter went 28-23 before he was
fired in favor of Alvin Gentry, who compiled an 18-13 mark as interim coach.
All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire is back at full strength after suffering a
season-ending eye injury in February. Stoudemire will team up again with stud
guard Steve Nash now that Shaquille O'Neal is in Cleveland. Stoudemire led the
team in scoring with 21.4 points per game last season and Nash was tops in
assists, dishing out 9.7 per contest.
Jason Richardson and Grant Hill will also contribute to Gentry's plan, while
Richardson was third on the Suns with 16.4 points per game last year.
Meanwhile, the Clippers suffered a season-opening 99-92 setback to the
defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Eric Gordon scored 21 points, and Chris Kaman contributed 18 points and 16
rebounds for the Clippers, who trailed by just a point heading into the fourth
quarter before faltering down the stretch. Baron Davis had just two points on
1-of-10 shooting and dished out eight assists in defeat.
Marcus Camby had 14 points and Craig Smith netted 12 for the Clippers, who
outrebounded the Lakers by a 51-47 difference.
"They're a terrific team," said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. "At times we
were careless with the basketball and had too many turnovers. We made
mistakes, but we played hard."
Phoenix won all four matchups with the Clippers in 2008-09 and has won seven
of eight and eight of the previous 10 meetings between the teams. The Suns
have won two in a row and 11 of their last 15 games as the guest in this set.
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