Toronto (3-3) at San Antonio (2-3)
The San Antonio Spurs had one of the league’s best road records last season, but they’re off to a woeful start away from AT&T Center and will be without Tony Parker(notes) for the next week.
Perhaps a lengthy stretch back home will get coach Gregg Popovich’s team back on track.
The Spurs look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the beginning of last season Monday night when they open a stretch of 10 of 12 at home against the Toronto Raptors.
San Antonio (2-3) lost three in a row to open the 2008-09 season - two at home - but their current struggles have come on the road. The Spurs, who were 26-15 on the road last season, have won their two home games by an average of 18.0 points, but are 0-3 away from home.
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Utah Jazz vs New York Knicks
Utah (2-4) at New York (1-6)
The New York Knicks’ continued struggles are hardly a big surprise, but the Utah Jazz certainly weren’t planning on such a slow start.
The Jazz will face more challenges during a tough four-game road trip, but they’ll hope to begin with a victory Monday night at Madison Square Garden against the sputtering Knicks.
Utah (2-4) has averaged 51 wins over the last three seasons, but it has not looked like a playoff team during its lackluster start, which hit a new low with a 104-99 home loss to Sacramento on Saturday.
The defeat was especially surprising considering that Utah was 33-8 at home last season while the Kings had the worst record in the NBA. The Jazz, though, were outscored 30-13 in the third quarter and allowed Sacramento to shoot 11 of 19 from 3-point range in the game.
“It was a bad game for us, period,” point guard Deron Williams(notes) said. “We had a 15-point lead in the second quarter and then just let it slip away. Then the third quarter was even worse.”
The Jazz lost despite season highs of 29 points and 15 assists from Williams. Last season, the team won its first five games with Williams sidelined due to an ankle injury.
The New York Knicks’ continued struggles are hardly a big surprise, but the Utah Jazz certainly weren’t planning on such a slow start.
The Jazz will face more challenges during a tough four-game road trip, but they’ll hope to begin with a victory Monday night at Madison Square Garden against the sputtering Knicks.
Utah (2-4) has averaged 51 wins over the last three seasons, but it has not looked like a playoff team during its lackluster start, which hit a new low with a 104-99 home loss to Sacramento on Saturday.
The defeat was especially surprising considering that Utah was 33-8 at home last season while the Kings had the worst record in the NBA. The Jazz, though, were outscored 30-13 in the third quarter and allowed Sacramento to shoot 11 of 19 from 3-point range in the game.
“It was a bad game for us, period,” point guard Deron Williams(notes) said. “We had a 15-point lead in the second quarter and then just let it slip away. Then the third quarter was even worse.”
The Jazz lost despite season highs of 29 points and 15 assists from Williams. Last season, the team won its first five games with Williams sidelined due to an ankle injury.
Phoenix Suns vs Philadelphia Sixers
Phoenix (6-1) at Philadelphia (3-3)
After missing the playoffs last spring with their worst record since signing Steve Nash(notes) before the 2004-05 season, the Phoenix Suns have one of the league’s best records two weeks into 2009-10.
The Suns, though, refuse to say they’ve returned to the NBA’s elite just yet.
Trying not to make too much of their early success, the Suns look to cap a strong five-game trip with another win Monday night when they meet the Philadelphia 76ers.
Phoenix finished 10 games above .500 at 46-36 last season, but that was only good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference, keeping the Suns out of the postseason for the first time since 2004.
The Suns (6-1) expect to get back to the playoffs this season, but they’re not taking anything for granted despite their strong start.
“The minute we start to say we’re a certain caliber team, there’s a danger,” Nash said after finishing with 11 points and 17 assists in Phoenix’s 102-90 win over Washington on Sunday. “We just got to keep being humble, keep treating this as a project. It’s going to take the whole season.”
After missing the playoffs last spring with their worst record since signing Steve Nash(notes) before the 2004-05 season, the Phoenix Suns have one of the league’s best records two weeks into 2009-10.
The Suns, though, refuse to say they’ve returned to the NBA’s elite just yet.
Trying not to make too much of their early success, the Suns look to cap a strong five-game trip with another win Monday night when they meet the Philadelphia 76ers.
Phoenix finished 10 games above .500 at 46-36 last season, but that was only good enough for ninth place in the Western Conference, keeping the Suns out of the postseason for the first time since 2004.
The Suns (6-1) expect to get back to the playoffs this season, but they’re not taking anything for granted despite their strong start.
“The minute we start to say we’re a certain caliber team, there’s a danger,” Nash said after finishing with 11 points and 17 assists in Phoenix’s 102-90 win over Washington on Sunday. “We just got to keep being humble, keep treating this as a project. It’s going to take the whole season.”
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