Preview: Suns Open Season vs Clippers

The Phoenix Suns open their regular season tonight.

Oct 17, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The dawn of a new Phoenix Suns season is upon us.

The Suns will play game 1 of 82 this regular season tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers - who will be playing their first game that actually counts towards standings in the newly constructed Intuit Dome.

The Suns are coming into this contest as significant favorites, but don't assume that this game will be a runaway game - it could take some in-game reps to get a starting unit that didn't get much playing time together prior to tonight in sync. Don't doubt Clippers' head man Tyronn Lue either. Lue remains one of the premier coaches in the league, namely through the use of in-game adjustments.

Two noteworthy things going into tip-off, along with a prediction below:

New-Look Clippers (Sort Of)

This Clippers squad will be different from the one that Phoenix has seen in previous years - at the core of it, at least.

James Harden returns for Year 2 in his hometown, but Paul George notably departed to Philadelphia this summer and Kawhi Leonard is once again dealing with a knee ailment that could very well hold him out for the next meeting between the two teams on October 31 as well.

The Clippers' starting five tonight is expected to be comprised of Harden, Norman Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr., and Ivica Zubac.

The current bench unit and potential philosophy sans Leonard are very much mysteries, but once again - don't doubt what Lue can do.

Budenholzer's Debut

Speaking of coaches, this is the official debut of Mike Budenholzer as head coach of the Suns. He will be the third coach in as many seasons - but the structure, sensibilities, and staff he brings to the table are wildly impressive.

Say what you want about the playoff exploits of Budenholzer, but the culture that has been brought in is unlike anything the franchise has seen since early in the tenure of Monty Williams.

The Suns' offense looked far more cohesive and intentional. The rotations have more chance to actually display what they bring to the table under the hand of Budenholzer.

We'll finally get a game that counts under the former NBA champ's tutelage - let's see if everything that has been stressed during the offseason translates.

Prediction: Suns Win

The Suns could get off to a slow start here - Lue's game-planning will challenge the potent starting unit, but the second unit should be able to prove to be a clear upgrade over last year.

Expect Phoenix to attempt between 40-45 three-point looks in this contest. Also expect Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro to see game action with both making impacts on the game.

The Suns will pull away late in the game and win by around 10 points to get off to a 1-0 start ahead of playing the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

Suns-Clippers is set to tip off shortly after 7 P.M. tonight. It will be broadcast on both ESPN and locally on AZ Family.

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