Suns Begin Preseason vs Lakers

The Phoenix Suns will hit the court for the first time this season.

Feb 25, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) and center Jusuf Nurkic (20) during the fourth quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Who: Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
What: NBA Preseason Action
When: Sunday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 PM local time
Where: Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert. CA

The Phoenix Suns begin their 2024 preseason schedule tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, and while we're still unclear of who will be available on the Suns' side, the Lakers are expected to trot out their starting lineup, which includes LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Los Angeles already began their preseason with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, where neither star played - but draft pick Bronny James did see his first taste of NBA action.

Now, James will be facing a team that reportedly had serious interest in taking him prior to the Lakers ensuring we saw the NBA's first ever father/son duo.

“Just a grateful opportunity. I went in there, tried my hardest. Worked my butt off. It’s going to be a special full circle moment for me playing the Suns tomorrow," the youngest James told reporters (h/t Duane Rankin).

Phoenix won't have the services of starter Jusuf Nurkic, who injured his finger and is expected to be re-evaluated within the next week. Veteran free agent signing Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro are expected to see an increase in action with Nurkic's absence.

“Nurk’s been great. He’s always telling me to hop in with him after practice in drills, and him and Tyus (Jones) were going through some ball screen angles and stuff," Ighodaro told reporters after practice.

"He’s like ‘Rook, come hop in with me.’ … Making me feel included and as a young guy, a vet going out the way to do that means a lot.”

Everybody besides Nurkic should be available, per new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer.

Phoenix still has one roster spot left open ahead of the regular season, and tonight will be the first stepping stone in figuring out who can slide into that role.

For the Suns, tonight is all about finding a bit of chemistry and seeing which lineups do and don't work after a few days of training camp.

Make sure to bookmark Suns on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

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