Back here in Phoenix, this game will thankfully tip off at 6:00 p.m. which gives fans and writers alike plenty of time to catch the the action and still head out and party for New Year's Eve. The Suns are in Oklahoma City to face the powerful 4-0 Thunder. Steve Nash and friends are coming off their first win of the season on Thursday in New Orleans.
Recent games:
The Suns scrapped hard to get the win over the Hornets. It took solid defense and hard work on the glass to overcome another poor shooting night. Phoenix managed just 42 percent shooting from the field which might be enough to beat New Orleans playing without Eric Gordon but won't get it done against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and our old friend, James Harden.
When we last saw the Thunder, Kevin Durant was hitting a buzzer-beating three to beat the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Durant is averaging over 30 points per game and seems to be well on his way towards another scoring title.
Projected lineups:
- Point guard: Steve Nash -- Russell Westbrook
- Shooting guard: Jared Dudley --- Thabo Sefalosha
- Small forward: Grant Hill -- Kevin Durant
- Power forward: Channing Frye -- Serge Ibaka
- Center: Marcin Gortat -- Kendrick Perkins
- Key subs: Suns (Robin Lopez, Shannon Brown, Hakim Warrick, Markieff Morris). Thunder (James Harden, Nick Collison, Eric Maynor).
TV broadcast info:
Fox Sports Arizona will carry the game in Arizona starting at 6:00 p.m. with the pregame show starting 30 minutes prior. Arizona Sports 620 will have the radio version and Bright Side of the Sun will have a live game thread online.
Key matchups:
Last season the Thunder beat the Suns in three of four games, but Grant Hill was able to slow down Kevin Durant. It's not clear, however, if Hill has his legs under him yet in the season and playing their first back-to-back of the season won't help either.
Steve Nash is shooting just 31 percent so far to start the season. If his shot isn't falling, we could see Ronnie Price play extended minutes to help contain Russell Westbrook.
Happy New Year!
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