A pair of unbeaten Western Conference powerhouses get together this evening, as the Phoenix Suns welcome the New Orleans Hornets to US Airways Center. Phoenix opened its 2008-09 season with a 103-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at the AT&T Center. Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Suns, who won in new head coach Terry Porter's debut and will also visit Portland on the brief two-game road trip.
Shaquille O'Neal registered 15 points and a game-best 13 rebounds in the win while Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to score 18 points. Steve Nash added 13 points and dished out 13 assists for Phoenix.
The Suns will try to go 2-0 for the first time since 2004-05, when they won their first four games before ending with a 62-20 season.
New Orleans also kicked off its season on a winning note by recording a 108-103 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at ORACLE Arena. Chris Paul had 21 points, dished out 11 assists and sank the go-ahead layup with 19.4 seconds remaining in the game.
David West added 24 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets, who finished last season 56-26 and won the Southwest Division, but lost to San Antonio in seven games in the second round of the playoffs. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and 16 boards in the win.
James Posey, who was brought in from the Boston Celtics to provide defensive help and bolster a weak bench, scored 11 points.
The Hornets went 4-0 against the Suns last season, but the Suns have won 11 of the previous 16 matchups.
New Orleans has won two in a row on the road in this series.
