The Los Angeles Lakers return to the site of half of last year's Western Conference Finals as they travel to Phoenix to face the Suns at US Airways Center. The Lakers have won their last five road openers, and 12 of their last 14 first road games of the season. Here are tonight's probable lineups:
Lakers
Point Guard: Derek Fisher
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant
Small Forward: Ron Artest
Power Forward: Lamar Odom
Center: Pau Gasol
Suns
Point Guard: Steve Nash
Shooting Guard: Jason Richardson
Small Forward: Grant Hill
Power Forward: Hedo Turkoglu
Center: Robin Lopez
Phil Jackson is one victory shy of 1,100 in his career, and will be the fastest of the five to hit that milestone:
Fastest NBA Coaches To 1,100 Wins | ||
Coach | Wins-Losses | Win% |
Phil Jackson | 1,099-460 | .705 |
Pat Riley |
1,100-539 | .671 |
Jerry Sloan | 1,100-723 | .603 |
Don Nelson | 1,100-831 | .570 |
Lenny Wilkens | 1,100-896 | .551 |
Notes
- The Lakers won the regular season series with Phoenix last year, 3-1, and have won the last three season series by the same 3-1 margin
- The Suns are 31-11 in their 42 previous season openers
- The Suns have won eight straight regular season games at home, with the last loss coming at the hands of the Lakers, last March 12
Tonight's game, a 7:30 p.m. PDT tipoff, will be televised by both KCAL and ESPN.
For more Lakers news and information, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Silver Screen and Roll.