76ers at Suns
THE STORY: In a season that will take teams through back-to-back-to-back sets of games with a heavy focus on division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers are getting a West Coast road trip out of the way early. The 76ers started off in Portland on Monday - nearly coming all the way back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit before falling - and will hit Utah, Golden State and New Orleans before playing their home opener on Jan. 6. Next up is a visit to the Phoenix Suns, who are coming off a narrow loss of their own in a road opener Monday. The Suns are once again trying to find a defensive system that works with their older roster and were largely successful at New Orleans. The problem was on offense, where normally high-scoring Phoenix shot under 40 percent in an 85-84 setback.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSP (Philadelphia), FSAZ (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-1): Philadelphia knew it would be strong in the backcourt and proved it against the Trail Blazers as Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala buried a series of 3-pointers to bring the team back. It turned out that the deficit was too big, and a lack of balance may be to blame. Spencer Hawes had a nice game with 10 points and 14 rebounds but Philadelphia had no answer for forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace, who combined for 46 points.
ABOUT THE SUNS (0-1): Phoenix figured to be a little thin up front as well but got its best performance from the center position on Monday, with Marcin Gortat and Robin Lopez combining for 34 points and 12 rebounds. Steve Nash, now in his 16th season, was his usual efficient self with 14 points and 12 assists but did not score in the fourth quarter. The Suns relied too heavily on the 3-pointer and got burned in the opener, connecting on just 5 of 25 from beyond the arc.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Nash has averaged 14.9 points and 8.8 assists in 27 career games against Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia won both meetings last season, taking each by double-digits.
3. Sixers PG Jrue Holiday was strong against the Suns in 2010-11, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 assists and 3.0 steals.