Tonight your Phoenix Suns host the recently slightly revamped and perhaps improving Los Angeles Clippers.  The Clips were part of a three team deal, acquiring Drew Gooden, Steve Blake, and Travis Outlaw while jettisoning Al Thornton to Washington, Marcus Camby to Portland, and Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland. Oh, they also waived Ricky Davis and moved Mike Dunleavey off the bench, replacing him with Kim Hughes.

After consecutive losses to Portland and Atlanta, the Clippers reeled off three straight over the likes of Sacramento, Charlotte, and Detroit. The revamped Clipper lineup includes All-Star Chris Kaman, Steve Nash step brother Baron Davis, Team U.S.A. Olympic member Eric Gordon, newly acquired Drew Gooden, and "Rowdy" Rasual Butler. 

PROGRAMMING ALERT!!

Don't forget this game starts at 7pm Phx Time and NOT AT 8:30pm as originally scheduled.

Thank ESPN for the change.

Game Plan

The Clips will try to go to Kaman early on and hope he can dominate Robin Lopez or get him into foul trouble. Last time out against the Suns, Kaman went for 19 and 10 but wasn't much of a deciding factor. In that game Lopez played 10 minutes and wasn't the productive Lopez we now know and love. This should be an excellent matchup to watch. Baron Davis also had a bad back recently JUST LIKE HIS STEP BROTHER STEVE DID, OMG! Davis is healthy enough now and will be his typical 15 and 7 self. Nash usually doesn't have too much trouble with Baron, and although Davis has a career mark of 18 and 7 versus the Suns, last time out he picked up 11 and 8 in 27 minutes.

I see no reason why Amare shouldn't continue his dominant performance of late, even if he's matched up against Drew Gooden, who can play a little D. Amare did have only 4 rebounds versus Philadelphia, which is his lowest total since his infamous 1 rebound game against Dallas. Jason Richardson has been feeling it of late which as he says, makes the Suns "deadly" when Nash and STAT are doing their thing. Nash looked OK in morning shoot around, which isn't saying much because it was more of a stand around for him. He didn't look gimpy and if he was really hurting, he probably would have sat it out (I would think). He's definitely starting tonight.

The Clips aren't nearly as bad as they were the last time out. I foresee a grind it out type of game as we've witnessed of late from the Suns. The Clips don't score nor do they run. Of late the Suns haven't been scoring and running that much either. Both squads have the personnel to go straight at one another and see what happens. I still like the Suns' chances.

Numbers:

PPG:  Clippers 95.4 (28th), Suns 109 (1st)

RPG: Clippers 41 (19th), Suns 42 (10th)

RD (Rebounding Differential): Clippers +1.03 (11th) Suns  -.50 (21st) 

Worth Bulleting:

• The Suns are 13 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2007-08 season.
• Amare Stoudemire is averaging 25.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in the last 11 games.
• Jason Richardson has scored 20 or more points in 4 straight games
• The Suns have won 9 straight when Jason Richardson scores at least 20 points
• The Clippers have 0 (zero) fast break points in their past two games
• The Suns have won 6 straight games over the Clippers

Links

Clippers vs Suns coverage

Clippers vs Suns preview

Clips Nation (check 'em out...they are Clips Fans!)

Coro: Richardson Shoots to Win More Than Score

More Links:

• Bill Simmons on how to fix the NBA - ESPN
  There's reportedly some good ideas in here...I just don't have time to sort through 3800 words to find them. Let me know what I am missing
• azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Is the Suns 'D' better?
  Phoenix has gone from yielding 112.4 points per game in January to 97.4 game in February.
• Senator Dikembe Mutombo Blocks Record Amount Of Legislation | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
  WASHINGTON—Sen. Dikembe Mutombo (R-CO) showed that he is still one of the most dominant big men in Congress Thursday, blocking a record 16 bills in one legislative session. The 7-foot-2 senator, who broke the record previously held by Sen. Shawn Bradley (D-NJ), Rep. Arvydas Sabonis (D-OR), and current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), batted away legislation left and right, sometimes swatting bills so hard that they were sent flying all the way back to committee.
• Helping David Robinson Help Some Kids - Pounding The Rock
  Time For Action: I think this is a great opportunity for the Spurs community to step up to support a great person that we admire. We have the opportunity to help within our means, but in a meaningful way if we do it together. So go to the Pink Dingo and contribute your $3.
• Hardwood Paroxysm " Blog Archive " NBA HD: Are Rookies Better Finishers in Sophomore Year?
  Two Suns are listed in these lists of the best and worst change rookie to sophomore FG%...guess who they are before clicking

Recent Suns radio appearances

• Hill KTAR 022610
• Gentry KTAR 022510
• Dudley KTAR 022510