The Phoenix Suns look to get revenge on an old playoff rival as they host Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal versus the San Antonio Spurs. Tip off is at 10:30 PM ET on TNT.
The Suns are 3.5-point NBA playoff odds favorites and the over/under is 204.5.
The Spurs knocked off the suns in 2003, 2005 and 2007 on their way to the NBA championship. A series victory this time around would go a long way to erasing those disappointments.
The Phoenix Suns took the season series 2-1 with both teams holding home court.
Their most recent meeting was a 112-101 Suns victory that came with both teams jockeying for position ahead of the playoffs. Steve Nash had a great game scoring 18 points and 12 assists before getting pulled for the entire fourth quarter to allow backup Goran Dragic run the team.
The Suns kept San Antonio’s big three down holding Manu Ginobili to 10 points, Tim Duncan to 14 and Tony Parker to 10 points.
It looks like the Suns strategy in game one won’t deviate much from their last meeting.
“When Manu goes, Tim is going to do what Tim does. Tony, he’s going to play well, the speed and quickness that he has,” said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. “When Richard had those 17-point games they seem to really step up. And when they shoot well from 3, they almost never lose.”
Amare Soudemire has an average of 32.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in the season series versus the Spurs.
The Suns dropped the Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 in the first round.
Steve Nash has been missing practice that last couple of days to rest a sore right hip, but is expected to play. Robin Lopez could be back after being sidelined since March 26 with a bulging disk.
The San Antonio Spurs got balanced scoring from their top players in their 113-110 victory over the Suns on February 28. Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Manu Ginobili also had 21 points. Tony Parker added 16 points while Richard Jefferson picked up 20 off of the bench.
The Spurs got here by knocking off the Dallas Mavericks in six finishing the series up at home with a convincing 97-87 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the score would suggest.
San Antonio comes in to this series with no injuries to report.
The Suns are a monster 17-16-1 ATS at home while the Spurs are a very ordinary 20-24-1 ATS on the road.
I'm a basketball fan from Vancouver, Canada. Losing the Grizzlies was bitter-sweet. They sucked balls, so I never really started supporting them, but now I only get to catch games on TV.