National Basketball Association

Phoenix Suns: Opening Night Preview, History and Trivia

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Phoenix Suns start the franchise’s 49th season in the NBA by taking on the Sacramento Kings at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Last season the Kings won the season series against the Phoenix Suns 3-1. However, the Suns only victory was also the only game where they had a full contingent of starters.

Their second head-to-head, which happened to be the first of the series without Eric Bledsoe – and the last with Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler – was a 142-119 loss in Sacramento on January 2.

The Suns of course head into this season with all their major players back from the end of last year, but also include the addition of rookies Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, and Tyler Ulis. The Suns will be playing without the services of recently released guard Archie Goodwin, who currently remains a free agent.

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Sacramento heads into their first season in the post-George Karl era with new Head Coach Dave Joerger, the former longtime Memphis Grizzlies Assistant Coach and Head Coach. Sacramento boasts the addition of a trio of rookies themselves, George Papagiannis, Skal Labissiere, and Malachi Richardson.

On draft day the Suns and Kings took part in a trade that netted Phoenix the 8th overall pick from Sacramento, drafting Marquese Chriss.

In exchange the Suns sent westward the rights to former 2014 first round pick Bogdan Bogdanovic, a future second-round pick, and the 13th and 28th overall picks, with which Sacramento chose Papagiannis and Labissiere, respectively.

Fast Facts:

1. The Phoenix Suns lost their opening night game last season to the Dallas Mavericks 95-111; The Sacramento Kings lost theirs to the Los Angeles Clippers 104-111.

2. The Suns are 25-23 all-time on opening night; the Kings are 34-34 dating back to 1948-49 as the Rochester Royals.

3. The Phoenix Suns are 16-7 on opening night at home, and are 5-5 in their last ten openers overall, and 2-3 in their last five.

4. The Suns have played the Kings once on opening night, an 89-107 loss in Sacramento on November 4, 1994. The Suns played without Charles Barkley and the new additions of Wayman Tisdale and Danny Manning were unable to balance out the Sacramento attack as the Kings rolled to a 62-46 halftime lead, and a 14 point third quarter did the Suns in.

5. The Kings played the Suns one other time for their opening game, on October 19, 1974, a 94-91 victory for the then Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Holding the Kings to a 10 point first quarter, and seemingly cruising with a 73-54 lead heading into the 4th, Tiny Archibald helped to fuel a scoring onslaught as the Kings poured on 40 points to the Suns 18 leading to the upset win.

Enjoy Phoenix Suns fans – the wait is over.

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