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Despite the NBA lockout holding strong, the Phoenix Suns released their 2011-12 preseason schedule on Thursday, with some intriguing match-ups and exotic locales on the docket. 

They kick it off at home, hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, October 11 at the U.S. Airways Center, followed by back-to-back meetings with the Portland Trailblazers. Their first game is on Saturday, October 15 at the Rose Garden, then travel up North to Vancouver to play them again two days later at Rogers Arena.

From there they head to the Bay to take on the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on the 18th, then another back-to-back match up with the Denver Nuggets; at the U.S. Airways Center on the 20th, then at the Pepsi Center in Denver on the 23rd. They wrap up their preseason at home on Tuesday the 25th against the Oklahoma City Thunder, before they embark on their regular season quest a few days later. 

From suns.com:

DATE                      OPPONENT                  SITE                                                               TIME             

Tues., Oct. 11            L.A. Clippers                   US Airways Center, Phoenix                          7 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 15              Portland Trail Blazers      Rose Garden, Portland                                   7 p.m.

Mon., Oct. 17            Portland Trail Blazers      Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada                7 p.m.

Tues., Oct. 18            Golden St. Warriors        ORACLE Arena, Oakland                              7:30 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 20          Denver Nuggets              US Airways Center, Phoenix                          7 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 23             Denver Nuggets              Pepsi Center, Denver                                      6 p.m.

Tues., Oct. 25            Okla. City Thunder         US Airways Center, Phoenix                          7 p.m.

All times Phoenix time

Feb. 4, 2011: Phoenix Suns’ Channing Frye and Vince Carter walk off the court after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder at US Airways Center.

More on this topic

Up next: Suns at Warriors

When: 8:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.
TV: My 45 | Radio: KTAR 620 AM

Thunder 111, Suns 107 | Box score | Schedule

More Suns with Paul Coro

Phoenix Suns update:

Suns (23-25) at Warriors (22-27)

C: Robin Lopez … Andris Biedrins

PF: Channing Frye … David Lee

SF: Grant Hill … Dorell Wright

SG: Vince Carter … Monta Ellis

PG: Steve Nash … Stephen Curry

Key Warriors reserves: Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Williams, Ekpe Udoh, Charlie Bell, Louis Amundson.

Key Warrior injury: Acie Law (wrist) is questionable.

* Even though the Suns have slid back to two games below .500, only one team stands between the Suns and getting back to even.

With a home-and-home series with Golden State (in Oakland tonight and in Phoenix on Thursday), the Suns have the potential to sweep and get to .500 for the first time since Dec. 19.

“It doesn’t matter who the team is,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “It’s tough to sweep those games. Home-away, away-home. It becomes really tough. It’s a challenge and they’re playing good basketball. They’re very offensive-minded. Their backcourt is as good as any young backcourt in the NBA. David Lee, you’re talking about a good rebounder. It’s going to be a challenge but it’s kind of one of those deals where for us to stay in this race, it’s something we have to find a way to get done.”

*When the Suns won 107-101 at Oracle Arena on Dec. 2, it was the lowest scoring Suns-Warriors game there since Feb. 13, 2005. The winner of the previous 11 games had scored at least 110 points and at least 120 in the most recent seven until this season.

“We’re not going to score 90 and win,” Gentry said. “Not against that group. But we never do. I think they’re really fun games for the fans. I’m not real excited about them… They’re very good offensively. We’ve got to find a way to slow them down a little bit yet keep the pace offensively ourselves.”

There is more of a defensive slant to the Warriors, although they still rank 27th in scoring defense. They have held their past three opponents to fewer than 100 points and 42.4 percent shooting, including their best win of the season Saturday night against Chicago at home.

* The Suns in the past have had success with posting up bigger wings against the Warriors’ smaller guards, particularly Jason Richardson on Monta Ellis. Richardson had 25 points when the Suns won here this season.

“We’ll definitely try to do that,” Gentry said of using Carter in the same way.

* The Warriors are the league’s best 3-point shooting team with four players making better than 40 percent of their 3s — Curry (42.4), Radmanovic (42.3), Williams (41.9) and Wright (41.5). They also are second in steals with Ellis ranking third individually in the NBA at 2.3 per game.

* Phoenix Phactoid Pharaoh Vince Kozar broke down the Suns’ defense since the Dec. 30 three-hour practice that simplified their schemes. The Suns gave up 49 percent shooting and 110.0 points per game in the 30 games prior to it and 44.3 percent shooting and 100.3 points per game since it.

* Pharaoh also notes that Nash is 15 assists from becoming the 11th player in NBA history to have 6,000 assists with one team. Kevin Johnson is one of the others. Nash also will have the most 3-point attempts with his next try, passing Dan Majerle. Nash already holds the franchise marks for 3-point makes and percentage.

* More Pharaoh: Marcin Gortat is tied with Lamar Odom for the most double-doubles as a reserve (six). Gortat has scored in double figures in five consecutive games for the first time in his career.

* Pietrus has shot 28 percent from the field in his past 13 appearances, including going 2 for 15 (1 for 10 on 3s) in the past three games.

“He hasn’t shot the ball as well as we think he will eventually,” Gentry said. “I anticipate him defensively doing more for us. It’s helped us because we’ve been able to rest Grant (Hill) a little bit so that he’s not playing against the Kevin Durants of the world for 17-18 straight minutes. That just wears you out.”

Pietrus’ inclusion has meant a 10-man rotation, something Gentry did not think he would be able to do with this team.

* Carter shot a season-high seven free throws in Friday’s game, all coming in the first half. Gentry felt like the team was seduced into being a jump-shooting team in the final minutes Friday.

“That’s what we’ve got to have,” Gentry said. “We’ve got to find a way to generate some isolated situations where guys can drive and get us to the line or guys can drive and create situations. He’s got to be that guy for us. He really does. Everything we do at the end can’t be screen and roll. It just creates too much of a situation for Steve to try to make every single play. If they’re switching or trapping, he has to give the ball up so we have to have guys that are capable of taking the ball and making plays.”

* Gentry’s parting words on the Friday home loss to Oklahoma City: “We played well (Friday night). We just had trouble closing the game out … for a lot of reasons.” (wink, wink) 

Tweetin’ at www.twitter.com/paulcoro

 

Warriors vs. Phoenix

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Oracle Arena

TV/Radio: CSNBA; NBA-TV; 680-AM

Records: Warriors 22-27; Suns 23-25

Suns update: The Suns have won eight of their last 12 games. “… Phoenix point guard Steve Nash’s name has come up in the trade rumor mill quite a bit recently. But Suns president Lon Babby all but dismissed such rumors to ESPN’s Marc Stein. “I don’t see how it makes any sense for us to move him.” “… Backup point guard Goran Dragic is out after cutting his left big toe when he stepped on broken glass at home, which required nine stitches.

– Marcus Thompson II

The Phoenix Suns hope to halt a three-game skid when they open a stretch of five of six games at the US Airways Center by welcoming the road-weary Philadelphia 76ers to the desert.

(Sports Network) – The Phoenix Suns hope to halt a three-game skid when they open a stretch of five of six games at the US Airways Center by welcoming the road-weary Philadelphia 76ers to the desert.

Clippers rookie star Blake Griffin posted his 18th straight double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out on Sunday, as Los Angeles snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Suns with a 108-103 victory at Staples Center.

Mickael Pietrus netted a team-high 25 points for Phoenix, which has lost seven of its last nine contests overall. Steve Nash registered a double-double with 21 points and 15 assists, and Grant Hill poured in 19 points in defeat.

“They did a good job defensively against us,” Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said about the Clippers. “They’re getting better. We’re just not getting quality play.”

Phoenix, which is 7-6 at home on the year, hopes to get a boost tonight with the debut of Vince Carter. The former All-Star has missed all four games with a sore knee since being acquired by the Suns in a six-player trade with Orlando on Dec. 18

The Sixers, meanwhile, fell to 2-3 on their season-long eight-game trek Monday in Oakland when Dorell Wright led a balanced Golden State attack with 28 points, as the Warriors used precise long-distance shooting to beat Philadelphia, 110-95, at Oracle Arena.

Wright went 5-of-7 from three-point range, part of a 15-of-23 effort for the Warriors.

Jrue Holiday scored 23 to go with 11 assists for the Sixers, who were without swingman Andre Iguodala and sixth man Lou Williams. Iguodala sat out due to tendinitis in his right Achilles, an injury that caused him to miss several games earlier in the season, while Williams was excused to witness the birth of his daughter.

Jodie Meeks had 19 points and Elton Brand finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds in defeat. Spencer Hawes pulled down 12 rebounds.

Iguodala and Williams both could be back for tonight’s contest.

The Suns swept the home-and-home series between the two clubs a year ago and have traditionally dominated the Sixers in Phoenix, winning 20 of the last 23 games in the series on their home floor.

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