The undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder hope to earn their fifth win of the season as they welcome the Phoenix Suns to town for their annual New Year’s Eve game. The Thunder are currently 4-0 for the first time since the 2002-03 season, while they were still in Seattle. The last time the Oklahoma City franchise started a season 5-0 was in 1998-99.

Picking up where he left off in 2010-11, Kevin Durant has scored 30-points or more in each of the Thunder’s first four games this season. Durant is one of only four players in the last 30 years to open the season with four straight 30-point scoring efforts. The last player to do it was Kobe Bryant in 2005-06. If Durant scores over 30-points against the Suns, he will be the first player to do so in the first five games of the season since Michael Jordan in 1986-87.

The Thunder is 28-5 when Durant hits the 30-point plateau since last season.

James Harden has also continued to star for the Thunder as the sixth man early in 2011-12. Harden has come off the bench to score in double figures in each of the Thunder’s first four games of the season and his 17.5 point per game average currently ranks third in the NBA among reserves.

Phoenix sits at 1-2 on the season but only broke the 90-point barrier once. After scoring 14 points in the Suns’ season-opening loss to the New Orleans Hornets, Steve Nash, the two-time league MVP, is 4-for-19 with 11 total points over his last two games combined.

Nash had 12 assists in the games that Phoenix has played this season against the Hornets, but only dished one in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Hakim Warrick scored a game-high 18 points off the bench in their most recent game with the Hornets and Jared Dudley added 16 for the Suns.

Oklahoma City beat Phoenix the last three times they met. Tip off on New Year’s Eve is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

Source: NBA.COM

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Welcome to the New Orleans Arena and the game between the New Orleans Hornets and the Phoenix Suns.

We’ll be updating and chatting with you here:

Rusty Costanza/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Hornets guard Jarrett Jack takes the court before the home opener Wednesday at the New Orleans Arena.

By Seth Pollack

– Regional Sports Editor

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Dec 30, 2011 – The Phoenix Suns will look for their first win of the season Friday night when they get a second shot at the New Orleans Hornets. The Suns lost their first meeting in the final seconds, but only a few days later things will be much different.

Aside from playing on the road for the first time this season, the Suns will be facing a New Orleans lineup who will have their starting point guard (Jarrett Jack) back from suspension but will likely be without guard Eric Gordon due to a knee bruise.

Recent games:

The Suns are coming off an embarrassing butt-whooping at home Wednesday night at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. For the second time in two games, the previously high-octane Suns offense didn’t break the 85 point mark. Steve Nash had what he called one of his worst games and the Suns have yet to find consistent shooting from Jared Dudley or Channing Frye.

The Suns are 0-2 on the season and will need to find scoring somewhere to avoid their third-straight loss.

The Hornets beat the Boston Celtics 97-78 at home on Wednesday. Gordon did not play in that game due to a knee bruise suffered in Phoenix, but point guard Jarrett Jack was back from his one-game suspension and poured in 21 points.

Carl Landry added 20 in the win but it’s the defense that has been the key to the Hornets 2-0 start according to coach Monty Williams, “I think our guys understand the way we have to play. We don’t have the go-to guys that we necessarily had last season. We have them in a different way with different guys stepping up, and that does build confidence.”

Projected starting lineups:

Hornet’s coach Monty Williams said Eric Gordon was unlikely to play Friday night against Phoenix but New Orleans will have starting point guard Jarrett Jack on the floor. The Suns are expected to start their same lineup they’ve used in the last two games.

• Point guard: Steve Nash — Jarrett Jack
• Shooting guard: Jared Dudley — Marco Belinelli
• Small forward: Grant Hill — Trevor Ariza
• Power forward: Channing Frye — Carl Landry
• Center: Marcin Gortat — Emeka Okafor
• Key subs: Suns (Robin Lopez, Markieff Morris, Shannon Brown, Ronnie Price). Hornets (Chris Kaman, Greivis Vasquez, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jason Smith)

Phoenix signed veteran shooting guard Michael Redd on Thursday but it will be several weeks before Redd sees the court for the Suns.

Start time and broadcast information:

The Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Hornets tips at 6:00 p.m. local time and with the TV broadcast on Fox Sports Arizona and radio broadcast on Arizona Sports 620.

Live game thread will be at Bright Side of the Sun.

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Read More: Jarrett Jack (G – NOH), Eric Gordon (G – NOH), Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Hornets, Dec 30, 2011 6:00 PM MST

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